Beyond the Sea
by The Angry Lioness
Summary: After escaping a scary romance, Ariadne goes on a relaxing cruise to forget. Eames is there too and so is Arthur and his girlfriend, Joe. When she grows obsessive of Arthur, can Ariadne convince him that he's being abused?
1. Bon Voyage

A taxi cruised along the shoreline of France. In the distance ahead lay its destination. Two women sat in the back, sharing a pair of earbuds and listening to the same song. One of the women was a ginger with tattoos on her wrists and long fingernails. Her friend was a short, skin-and-bones architect who recently graduated from architecture school who exposed no tattoos.

Recently the young woman was kidnapped by her abusive ex who beat her to a point where she couldn't move. Fortunately, she was saved on time and taken care of by doctors. It's been three months since the incident and all she wanted to do was forget. That meant she had to go on a vacation.

"You think Jayne will be mean?" Jules, the redhead asked.

"Maybe. She looks mean." Her friend Ariadne commented. "But she's marrying a prince at the same time so he must see something in her."

"I'm excited to meet her but nervous, you know?"

"I know you are." Ariadne replied. "Just keep in mind that she's a human like you and you should treat her the way you treat other people you meet. Celebrities hate it when you scream in their faces."

"Were on a ship for a long time going almost everywhere."

"It sounds too good to be true, don't you think?" Ariadne asked. "I mean, what if something happens?"

"I doubt it."

"Not like that. What if we're not going on so many excursions? What if it's more celebrities and gossip than adventures?"

"I wouldn't care." Said Jules. "I get to hang with Jayne Alvers before her wedding."

"You better not replace me." Ariadne warned. Jules laughed.

"I know, you'd body slam me into a wall."

"That's a possibility." Ariadne guaranteed. Jules's body slam remark got her thinking. "Jules, do you miss derby?"

"Do I miss derby?" Jules repeated. "Hell yeah, I miss being called Ginger Barbie! You know what I'd do to play again?"

"I really want to get back." Ariadne sighed. "I know we retired for school but that's over now. We have time to join the league in Paris and get jobs too."

"I don't know about that." Said Jules uneasily.

"You just said you wanted to play again!"

"I know, but who has time?" she sighed. "I can't go from kitchen to arena everyday."

"You don't have to work everyday." Said Ariadne. "Easy as that."

"Whatever you say Eiffel Spider."

Ariadne laughed as Jules said her derby name out loud. The taxi came to a stop. Jules paid the driver as Ariadne pulled their luggage out of the trunk.

"I don't see why you have to pack so many clothes!" Ariadne hauled the last rolling bag out and shut the trunk.

In front of them were many people sitting around and waiting to board. Standing in the water by the edge stood _Calypso_, their cruise ship. She had twenty decks, forty lifeboats, was solid white and had a picture of the goddess Calypso painted on her.

"They should make an _Ariadne_." Said Jules. Her friend laughed.

"No one even knows who that is."

"So? They should know."

"Yeah, I'm named after the goddess who's married to the fat guy…" said Ariadne as they waited in line.

When their taxi drove away, a white limousine pulled over. The first thing that stepped out of the door was a young man in a vest and long pants. His hair was smoothed down.

"Careful now." He took the woman's hand and assisted her as she stepped out of the vehicle. She was a tall blonde with tan skin and bright blue eyes wearing nice clothes and high-heeled shoes. Looking the ship up and down, she nodded.

"I'm impressed Rodger." She gushed.

"It's the least I could do." The young man replied. "The line is quite long so we better get in it before it gets worse."

"I like that." She said. "Winston! My bags!" The blonde called for the driver to bring out her Louis Vitton luggage. The young man brought out his own luggage. So many bags were piled on the ground that Winston had to grab a cart.

"Anything else Ms. Johanna?"

"No. We're all set." She told him.

"Drive safe." The young man told him, handing the chauffer a roll of bills. Winston raised his hat.

"Bon voyage!" He wished before stepping back into the limo and driving off.

"Oh my God Rodger!" Joe stopped her boyfriend before he could go to the line. "It's Jayne Alvers and that Greek Prince!"

"I believe his name is Stefano." He corrected. "They're getting married after the cruise."

Joe watched as Jayne and her fiancée went to the back of the line instead of cutting the smaller people.

"Doesn't first class get to go in first?" Joe asked.

"Nope." Her boyfriend replied. "Whoever gets there first goes in first. Let's go." He took Joes hand and used his other hand to pull the luggage cart.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you won first class tickets." Said Ariadne. "Don't those contests usually involve getting your own restaurant?"<p>

"As much as I would like that, no."

Ariadne and Jules were walking through the narrow hallway of the first class suites. "Room 1783." Ariadne read on her ID card.

"Were in the seven-teen seventies." Said Jules observing every door. They stopped finally stopped at the end of the hall. "Here we are. Shall we see our temporary lap of luxury?"

"Just open it, I'm tired."

Jules rolled her eyes and put her card through the slot. The moment they stepped into the room, the girls were in awe. This wasn't a crammed cabin with closets and drawers for walls. This was the kind of suite the royal couple themselves would stay in.

"Two big beds in separate rooms…" Jules looked at the queen-sized beds with curtains and white sheets. "Nice." She opened the door to the bathroom. "Yes! We have a hot tub!"

"Seriously?" Ariadne stepped into the bathroom. There were two fancy sinks instead of one with two mirrors and four storage cabinets. "I can't wait to sweat then."

"The beds are big enough for if we brought guys in here." Jules joked. Ariadne shook her head.

"I'll be scarred for life if I see you having sex with some random guy." She told her strictly.

"It's not like we'll find guys anyway. All the men on this boat are either taken or gay." Jules complained as she began to unpack her clothes.

Ariadne turned around and smirked. "Welcome to reality."


	2. Brown, Red, and Blonde

"This bed is so nice." Ariadne was settled into the biggest bed she's ever laid in. "I just wanna fall asleep now."

"Well go ahead. Its eight anyway." Jules jumped onto hers. "Ships usually don't take off until the afternoon."

"I should not be awake now..." Ariadne buried her face into the pillow. "I've graduated..."

A ding was heard in their room, very similar to the ones a high school bell made.

"Attention passengers, the ship will set sail at one. By law, your required to report to your designated lifeboat station for a practice emergency drill. When you hear the alarm go off seven short times and one long time, that's your signal to report. No life jackets are required."

"Good." Jules muttered over the captains voice. "I don't do well in orange."

"Is it now?" Ariadne asked tiredly.

"It better fucking not or I'll be pissed."

"Check your suite brochure to see what muster station your on."

"Shut up!" Jules snapped. "Seriously shut up!"

"Remember high school?" Ariadne chuckled.

"Mrs. Dixon." Jules was disgusted at the thought of the woman who worked the intercom at their old high school. "She's a bitch."

"Just because she yelled at you for not wearing shoes..."

"I had athletes foot!" Jules protested.

"Oh yeah." Ariadne drifted off into a small nap.

"I can't believe you were hit on by three different guys." said Jules as they went to the top deck around noon.

"Maybe they thought I was Jayne Alvers." Ariadne assumed.

"No offense hon but you look nothing like her."

"Well then I bet they were already drunk."

They walked outside to meet the sun on the most crowded area of the ship. There were people reading and tanning on the deck chairs, people were swimming in the two pools and all five hot tubs were filled.

"Maybe we shouldn't have napped so long..."

"We'll just get chairs in the shade." Ariadne went to the edge of the deck which was cool and shady. She found two empty chairs and threw her cover up on the first one. As she pulled off her sunglasses, she noticed a figure at the bar that looked familiar from the back. The man was wearing tan shorts, a pink Hawaiian shirt and was spinning something as he waited for his drink. "I'm going for a margo."

The stool next to his was recently empty so she hurried. Ariadne didn't want to look too foolish as she sat down a little embarrassed. She wondered if people were starring at the marks on her back.

The truth was, she had welts on her lower back from an abusive teen-hood. Being able to forget any of that would have been great. For the first time in years, she was out in a bikini.

"Hello Gorgeous." One of the guys at the bar whistled.

Ariadne ignored him and ordered a margarita with salt. Looking over, she saw that the spinning object was a poker chip. She looked over as the bartender was grinding up her drink.

"Eames?" he looked over, rather surprised to see her. "I never thought I'd see you here."

"What a pleasant surprise." he said. "Spending your paycheck already."

"No." Ariadne shook her head. "My friend won the tickets."

"Hmm." Eames took a sip of his vodka. "Did you know that Arthur's here too?"

"Really?" Ariadne scanned the deck to see if any human outside had his shape.

"Your supposed to call him Rodger Kingsley though. Even Joe thinks that's his real name."

"Oh. Ok... And who's Joe?"

Her eyes were locked on him as if she expected an immediate answer.

"Joe is his girlfriend."

Ariadne chuckled. "He's dating a girl named Joe? That's a guy name!"

"Isn't it sad?" Eames asked. "And she's tall, tan, and blonde."

"I wanna meet this girl." Said Ariadne as she claimed her margarita from the bartender. Jules needed to be there when it happened. Every woman needed a sidekick to cling to when going against what might be either a bomb or a blossom. "Hey Jules!" Ariadne called. "Get your Ginger face over here!"

"I'm coming!" Jules yelled back. The Ginger walked over to the bar in her red bikini. Eames looked her up and down, a small smile sneaking from his lips. The top three features he wanted in a woman were physically already there.

"I found a friend." Said Ariadne waving her arm over to Eames. "Jules, this is Eames."

"So what kind of contest did you win Darling?" Eames asked.

"British accent." She took the bar stool next to him that recently emptied. "That's sexy."

"Jules." Ariadne whispered. "I called you over here because a B-bomb is bound to head our way."

"Excellent. We haven't had one of those in a while."

"Wait…" Eames stopped completely confused. "A B-bomb?"

"Blonde Bombshell." Said Ariadne and Jules simultaneously.

"What do you ladies have against blondes?" Eames asked.

"Long story." Said Ariadne.

"We have never met a nice blonde woman before." Jules explained, pushing her hair back. "They were all bitches to us."

"We know that not all blondes are mean." Said Ariadne. "I'm going to meet this girl before I judge her."

"Well here's your chance." Said Eames pointing forward. Ariadne looked toward the pool to see Arthur's arm hooked with Joe's. He was getting her a beach chair in the sun, paying no attention to anyone else as she peeled off her beach dress.

"'Thank you Rodger'." Jules scoffed. "Just look at her!"

"Let's be rational." Ariadne reminded her.

"Hey Rodger!" Eames shouted across the deck to grab Arthur's eye. Arthur looked over at a waving Eames.

"What is it?" Joe asked, laying down on the beach chair.

"Were not alone." He said. "Some guy I know is on here… along with Ariadne."

"Who?" she questioned.

"Just a friend." Said Arthur. "C'mon… let's meet them."

"Fine." Said Joe. "I'd love too."

"Here they come." Said Eames.

"Bartender, get me a cup of Canadian whiskey, pronto!" Jules called.

"Whiskey huh…" Eames leaned against the counter. "You sound adventurous. Most girls go for the pina colada."

"Not my recommended choice." Jules replied.

"Here they come." Ariadne muttered.

"Didn't know you were here Eames." Said Arthur as they stopped walking towards them. "Ariadne… Jules."

"What do you know? He remembered my name." Jules hated it when people forgot her name.

"I didn't know you were here Rodger." Said Ariadne. She looked over at Joe. The tall blonde stood in a nice white one-piece with Chanel sunglasses. Ariadne noticed hanging from her ears were diamond crosses. "Hi."

"This is my girlfriend Joe." Said Arthur. Ariadne shook Joe's hand like a civilized person.

"That's quite a tattoo." Joe observed the Eiffel Tower ink sitting on Ariadne's right hip. "How bad did it hurt?"

"A lot." Ariadne laughed.

"I was thinking about getting one."

"Well as good as they look on the wrists, they hurt more." Jules bared the tattoos on her wrists. One was a gold and diamond rose and on the other wrist was a magenta jeweled heart that said 'Love' over it with an arrow through it. "It hurts more here."

"Don't even get started on me." Said Eames.

"What kind of tattoo were you thinking of?" Ariadne asked.

She could see Joe blushing at the question.

"Like a mom and dad one."

"My mom always said, 'Think before you ink'." Said Jules."I thought for six years."

"Cause one that comes on, it never comes off." Ariadne smirked. "And it hurts a lot too. My sister has fairy wings tattooed to her back. They're not the small ones either, they're way out there. My other sister has words on her abdomen."

"What do they say?"

Ariadne paused. The words on Mirra's skin brought her back to darker times. "I don't remember, but I think it's in Italian... So, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a dancer."

"What kind of dancer?" she narrowed down. "A little more specificity dear."

Eames snickered as she repeated the fancy word that she only heard Arthur say once.

"I'm a ballet dancer." Joe explained.

"Oh ok..." Jules sounded like she was very uninterested.

"And what do you do Jules?"

"And I graduated college recently with a degree in culinary arts."

"And I just got out with an architecture degree." Ariadne added.

"Well you two seem like interesting women. Wanna have dinner with us tonight? Is that alright honey?" she looked over at Arthur.

"It's fine by me, but..." Arthur was ready to say something about Eames. "Sounds great. Meet us at the Grand Restaurant at six-thirty."

"Clever name for a restaurant..." Jules muttered as Arthur and Joe started heading off.

Eames encircled his arms around both the girls. "He might have one date for tonight, but I have two."

Ariadne anticipated the dinner conversations between Arthur and Eames.


	3. Roller Girls and Ballet Dancers

"What are you wearing tonight?" Jules asked, who was in the bathroom doing her makeup.

"I don't know." Said Ariadne. "I only brought one dress and I was saving it for a more important occasion. But I might have a skirt somewhere…"

"Woah." Jules peaked her head out the bathroom door. "You only brought one dress? Seriously?"

"I can't exactly afford to buy dresses where I live Jules." Ariadne excused herself. "Besides, it's just dinner."

"And a show." Jules pointed out. "A show with Jayne Alvers, hello!"

"So what do you want me to do?" Ariadne asked sarcastically.

"Just do as I say."

* * *

><p>At six-twenty five, Eames arrived to Suite 1783 wearing one of his colorful button-up shirts with a grey suit.<p>

"You ladies ready?" he knocked on the door politely.

"We'll be right out!" Jules called. Eames fiddled with his room key as he waited. When the door opened, he almost dropped the card to the rug.

"Well if it isn't the two prettiest girls on the ship." He smirked. Jules stepped out in a red V-neck bandage dress that matched the tone of her fiery hair. After her came Ariadne. The dress she borrowed for the night was coated in silver sequins and went down to her knees. Eames walked them both to the elevator, each girl in one arm. As the elevator was opening to the deck where the restaurant was, the women were already laughing at his jokes.

"Well hello Rodger!" said Eames in a tone that said 'Look at me'. "Joe."

"You made it just in time." Said Arthur.

"We'll it doesn't take me long to get ready and neither do my dates." He bragged. Ariadne and Jules giggled again.

"Wow Ariadne…" Arthur looked at her in Jules dress. "You look great."

"Thank you." Ariadne smiled at him. Joes grip on Arthur's hand got tighter.

"I'm hungry." She said. "Can we go in?"

"Certainly."

Jules rolled her eyes at the blonde and Ariadne smiled evilly as they were led to their table. Eames sat between his 'dates', Arthur sat next to Ariadne and Joe was between him and Jules.

"Our menu changes every night." Said the waiter. "We have our best dishes on tonight's menu to kick off the first night of the voyage. Would you like to start with a bottle of wine?"

"Yes, thank you Sir." Said Arthur. "Some classic Milano Red Wine."

"Milano?" Joe mouthed.

"And a little of your best champagne." Her boyfriend added.

"Very well Sir." The waiter walked off. Ariadne looked down at the menu.

"I don't get why you like Milano wine so much. It's from California, they don't know how to make wine."

"Ah hem." Ariadne coughed to get Joe's attention. "For your information, my grandparents run that vineyard." Jules was already warm inside. Joe put her hand to the cross around her neck.

"Forgive me, I had no idea." She said sincerely.

"Maybe you shouldn't bash anything at all." Jules cut in. "You never know what'll happen."

"Like that time at the Paris Rollergirls bout." Ariadne remembered. "The guys who sat in front of us were obnoxious. They were booing at the Circus Freaks and cheering for the tuxedo-themed team, when it turned out that one of the Circus Freaks skaters family was sitting right in front of them."

Eames snickered.

"They were so humiliated they left." Said Jules. "And the game didn't even start."

"I get it." Said Joe as if the conversation was attacking her. "I learned my lesson."

"I'm sorry, but what are roller girls?" Arthur asked. Neither of the former-skaters were too surprised he didn't know.

"They're women who play roller derby." Ariadne explained. "We were thinking about joining the league in Paris when we get back."

"So you're staying in Paris?" Eames asked.

"That's where the best chefs work." Said Jules. "And where the best architecture is."

"And where the best ballet dancers live." Said Joe.

Ariadne wanted to ask Joe if she's ever seen _Black Swan_ but from what she knew, Joe would hate it.

"So is it true that you guys are forced to have small feet?" Jules asked. "I heard they did some drastic operations on bigger feet."

"Totally false." Said Joe. "There are a lot of dancers with big feet."

The waiter returned with the two bottles of fancy alcohol Arthur requested. After the waiter opened the bottles and placed them on the table, he said "Would you like some appetizers?"

"I'll have the octopus." Said Jules.

"And I'll have the fruit platter." Said Arthur. Eames looked over as the waiter left.

"A fruit platter? Would you like pads or tampons with that?" Eames teased. Ariadne and Jules snickered.

"Very funny." Said Arthur trying to handle Eames taunting.

"No seriously way to man up Rodg! Waiter can you get this 'man' a miniskirt and two tickets to _Wicked_ while your at it?"

Ariadne didn't know why she was laughing so hard. Poor Arthur was being insulted in front of his trophy-girlfriend. Maybe that's why she was laughing.

"It's just something to snack on before the entrée's get here." Arthur defended.

"Alright, alright," Eames put a hand up to halt him. "We know you like to snack on."

"What do you have against Rodger?" Joe asked neurotically.

"It's a long story." said Ariadne. "If they were to tell you the whole thing you'd be bored to tears."

Arthur started pouring Joe's glass of champagne. No one else asked for a glass so Arthur moved on to the wine. The trio at the table all brought their glasses to him to fill. When the waiter returned to take entrée orders, Ariadne and Jules both ordered a rare steak and Joe simply asked for a salad.

The brunette and redhead looked over at each other like lurking vultures after they observed Joe's repulsion of the mention of steak.

"Let me guess, the theater doesn't let you eat anything but salad." Jules assumed.

"I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh ok." Jules nodded. "She would hate Lioness." She whispered in Ariadne's ear.

"Lioness would rip her to shreds." Ariadne whispered back in hope that Joe couldn't hear. "How do you deal with Rodger eating meat?" she asked.

"I try not to eat meat in front of her." Said Arthur. "She's a little sensitive about the subject."

"Have you read _The Jungle_?" Jules asked.

"No. What is that?"

"Don't read it." Eames advised. "Anyway, who's looking forward to seeing if Jayne Alvers's voice is real or not?"

"This might sound crazy, but I love Jayne Alvers." Joe admitted. "My dad listened to her dad's music all the time. He's like Bon Jovi meets Mick Jagger."

"And she's like Pink clashed with Joan Jett." Said Jules.

"Why are her eyes two different colors?" Arthur asked. "Is that even real?"

"She said she has heterochroma." Said Jules. "And he dad's voice is real but that doesn't prove that hers is real."

"We're going to meet her tomorrow." Said Ariadne. "I think we're having a spa trip with her?"

"What?" Joe asked in disbelief. "That's insane, you're so lucky!"

The food came quickly and the brunette redhead duo was too busy cutting up and eating their steak to talk much. They listened to a conversation between Joe and Eames about life in England compared to France. Since they were on a ship, all the food was free. When everyone finished, they left and headed strait for the theater.

"They could still edit her voice." Ariadne pointed out to Jules as they sat down. The lights were on as the five sat down in the middle row. Eames ordered drinks for Ariadne and Jules and they were put on the little tables by their seats. For fifteen minutes they socialized before the lights went off and on.

The huge audience in the room applauded as a man with dwarfism pushed out of the purple curtains. He put his hands up to settle them down.

"Welcome to the Greek Theater. Is everyone enjoying the cruise so far?" The applause was weak. "I said who's enjoying the cruise?" The applause was a little stronger. "I am Nick, head of the entertainment staff here on _Calypso_. We have real treats for all of you. For one, we have celebrities and their roller girl mom's on board. Jayne Alvers is here!"

A lot of the women in the audience including Jules and Joe clapped loudly.

"You ready to hear her come out and sing?"

The audience was going wild as the music to 'Proud Mary' started playing. When the music blasted, the curtains opened to show the stage with three wheel ramps one left, one right and one forward. Everyone on stage was wearing yellow shirts and black pants. The girls all had pigtails. What was unique about the number was that they were dancing in roller skates.

As Jayne sang in the middle of the number, she actually jumped off the stage and skated through the center aisle. The dancers all performed a series of jumps and spins.

"Now I really want to go back." Said Ariadne.

"They have me convinced." Jules muttered. The number finished and Nick entered the stage while Jayne and Shane stayed. The night went on as they asked married couples how long they've been together, made jokes, asked for advice and in the end, the couple married the longest got a complementary bottle of wine.

So far, the boat was like Heaven on water.


	4. The Blonde Bites

"Alright, let's hear it for John and Rita Seagul for not being tired of each other after sixty-three years of being wed!" Nick's voice was blasting through the microphone. Jayne and Shane remained on stage as if ordered to. When the applause died down, Shane took the microphone.

"How you all doing?" his Greek accent was making a reappearance after years of sounding American. "Here on Greek cruises we service and praise people of all race and nationally. On many cruises we have more than Americans and Europeans; we have many other types of people sail with us. Who here is American?"

The majority of the audience put their hands together for the red white and blue.

"Great country. Love the US. Any Canadians in the house?"

"Yeah!" Jules yelled over a few shy clappers. Shane called out the English, the French, the Asian and even the Arabs and of course, the Greeks. After examining the backgrounds of the audience, Shane continued.

"Who here has a Greek name?" he asked. A quarter of the audience cheered. "Are any of those names the same of a God or Goddess?" The room was completely quiet. Ariadne was either the only one or was not afraid to raise her hand. "You in the sparkly dress, what's your name?"

"Ariadne!" she called out so he could hear. Nick started to grin a little.

"Ariadne…" Shane paced around the stage. "For those of you who don't know who Ariadne is, she is the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë of Crete. Dionysus is her husband. 'Ariadne' means 'most holy' and the Goddess herself is called the 'Mistress of the Labyrinth'. She fell in love with Theseus, a mortal who stepped up to slay the Minotaur and she gave him a sword and a ball of red fleece thread that she was spinning, so that he could find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth." Nick got up and grabbed the microphone from Shane.

"I think this is the first one!" he said. "The first 'Ariadne' in Greek Cruises history to be sailing with us!"

"Loom at that face." Joe growled in Arthur's ear. "She's such a kiss up."

"It's the cruise line's policy that I have to do this." Said Nick. "The first 'Ariadne' has finally arrived. As a bonus, Miss Ariadne…" her eyebrows lowered. "How would you like to go on as many excursions as you please, free of charge?"

"What?" she burst out. That was literally thousands of Euros worth! To explore Spain, Portugal, Morocco and more without paying a cent was a complete fantasy!

"That's right! Isn't it great to be a Goddess?" he asked.

"Alright Ariadne." Jules hooted. "Your luck's turning around already."

"It might be turning around too fast." The brunette whispered back.

* * *

><p>"I'll be right back Rodger." Joe told him, pointing to the woman's washroom. Eames and Jules walked off to the casino leaving Ariadne alone with Arthur after the show. Ariadne had no idea why she was still hanging out with him when the blonde was around. What did Arthur see in her? Ariadne played with the heel of her shoe by pressing it into the carpet.<p>

"Have the nightmares died down yet?" Ariadne didn't even want to think about the past. That's why she was on the ship in the first place. Arthur read her irritation. "It's my job to ask you."

"Yes, they're gone." She replied simply. "Now I'll never dream alone ever again."

"You asked yourself why it's so important to dream." Arthur reminded her.

"I meant dreaming with the briefcase. Besides, I always ask too many questions."

"Alright, that's all I needed to know." He said. "Now it's officially vacation time."

Ariadne smirked. "I bet you haven't taken a break in years."

"Well I don't like to, but for my own sake I have no choice."

"And Joe knows nothing?"

"She believes a different story." he explained. "Now do you think it's ok to let your friend run off alone with Eames?"

"I can't stop her." Ariadne crossed her arms as she felt the boat moving below her. "Besides, she's very tough… they seem compatible enough."

"You just wait. He's going to cheat on her." The Point Man predicted.

"I wouldn't be surprised." She agreed. "But she would kick his ass if he did." Ariadne could see a hint of a smile on Arthurs face. Suddenly, she felt the surface ramp. Barely able to stand on high heels on flat ground, Ariadne fell forward, Arthur falling back. They landed on each other like two dominos after an accidental push. "Oh my God excuse me." Ariadne got off of him.

"What's this?" Joe was out of the bathroom and saw them hit each other on the ground.

"A little wave that's all." Arthur assured. "We just fell." Joe glared at Ariadne who cleared her throat.

"Well… I think I'm going to throw on my gym clothes and go to the gym." She said.

"It's almost ten." Said Joe.

"Gyms open twenty-four seven." Ariadne corrected. "Besides, I like hard exercise. Beats karaoke, disco or what ever cheesy thing they're offering." The elevator opened and Ariadne stepped in, holding her shoes in her hands.

Around midnight, Ariadne and Jules were in their cabin, getting ready to rest.

"Eames is so awesome!" Jules gushed behind the bathroom door. "He won me fifty Euros at the casino and he's so funny. And oh my God, that accent and those lips!"

"Don't get too carried away." Ariadne warned her. "He might be seen like that to three other women at least."

"I never said I trusted him." Jules secured her thoughts. "I'm saying he's funny, hot and a gambler that doesn't go broke."

A knock was heard on the door. Ariadne threw her gym towel onto her bed and slipped on a bathrobe. Gazing through the peephole, she saw a sack of potatoes that was blonde hair.

"Hey Joe. What's up?" she asked innocently.

"Can I come in for one second?" she asked. "I want to ask you something."

"Sure." Ariadne moved out of the way, allowing the blonde who was still dressed up to step in. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to know…" the blonde hesitated. "I just wanted to know what you think about Rodger."

"What I think about Rodger?" Ariadne's eyebrows rose. What did she think? Arthur was smart, hot, dressed well and was respectful. "He's a good friend, that's all there is."

"Well that's too bad isn't it?" she snapped. Ariadne blinked.

"Excuse me?" Her hands found her hips and attached like buckles.

"Rodger is mine. So stay away from him."


	5. Men and Diamonds

Ariadne was a little tempted to get her bishop out and tip it, but yet again was not surprised at Joe's remark. The blonde couldn't even conquer her if she tried; Ariadne lived a life where she had to fight to survive. Joe got to sit around and have other's protect her. Ariadne was a veteran derby girl and Joe was a dancer who tipped on her toes for a living. What was this chick thinking when she walked into the suite shared by two Canadian women? It was like a zebra walking toward two lions.

Ariadne realized what Joe was thinking and chucked. "Ok, I get it. You think I'm after your boyfriend. Well, I'm not."

"I saw what you did." Joe sneered. "You tried to make a move on him."

Ariadne shook her head. "I can't help it if the boat hits a wave."

"You used it to your advantage."

Jules stepped out of the bathroom in a towel and monkey slippers. "Hello Joe. You know, the door's pretty thin."

"You don't scare me Jules."

"I'm not trying too." The Ginger excused herself, sitting next to Ariadne on her bed. "Let me ask you, does Rodger let you hang out with other guys?"

"If so, why can't he hang out with other women?" Ariadne stacked the question. "Is there a problem with Rodger having female friends?"

"Look, I just want you to know that Rodger is my boyfriend."

"We can see that crystal clear. Maybe you should have thought of a good threat before coming in here." Ariadne stood up. "And just because he's your boyfriend will not keep me away from him!" she gripped Joes shoulder and led her to the door. "And by the way, he's no ones. He's not a little purse dog." With one push, Joe was out of the suite.

"Jules, I think this is going to be a wonderful cruise."

"I can't wait."

"You were right... they're still all bitches."

"And then she said, 'Rodger is mine, so stay away from him'." Ariadne mocked Joe's voice. Eames snickered as he put his juice down.

"Not so sweet and innocent now is she?" He asked. "What are you gonna do?"

"For one, I'm not backing off." said Ariadne. "In fact, Jules is now more tempted to hang out with him." The British forger laughed.

"She told me this would be the best cruise ever." said Jules. "So far, it is. We have spa appointments with Jayne Alvers at noon."

"I can tell Joe wanted to do that." said Ariadne after ripping off a portion of bacon with her teeth. "She doesn't look like a Jayne Alvers fan though."

"No, she looks like a hater."

Eames blinked while chewing as he thought of a brilliant plan. "You're spending the day with her and her friends?"

"For a full spa treatment and dinner." said Jules.

"Perfect." he continued. "Since you two have your little heat with Joe over Rodger, why not tell Jayne while you chat. You'll most likely get her support."

Jules looked over at her crush as coffee got stuck in her throat for a moment.

"You know something... That's not a bad idea." Ariadne thought it over. Jayne Alvers, Ivory Maximoff, and Lucy Allerdyce were the daughters of music legends Lance Alvers, Pietro, and Pyro. Jayne was a Grammy winning-Oscar snagging actress. Ivory and Lucy were supermodels. All three girls had plenty of power on them. "But the thing is, we don't want a war to happen."

"We sort of do." Jules told the truth. "But we want it to look like we don't."

"Fun." Eames commented. "This will all be interesting."

"I feel sort of immature." Ariadne confessed. "I'm afraid Rodger will find out and be pissed at me, not her... We're acting like high school freshman here!"

"Well she's acting like a little brat." Jules stated.

Just after that, Arthur and Joe walked into the buffet. Ariadne craned her head over to Arthur and wiggled her fingers.

"Hey Rodger." she said casually. Joe glared at her.

"Hey. Hope you slept well." he said like the gentlemen he was smiling back. Jules and Eames smirked.

"This is too good." Jules held back a laugh.

"I never took you as the fighting type Ariadne." said Eames.

"No one does." she told him. "Not until I show them."

Around eleven forty five, Ariadne and Jules arrived to the spa. Despite there being maps on all the walls, they found the ship to be like a propelling paradox. Jules told the woman at the desk that they were to meet Jayne there. She expected the woman to laugh and say 'Yeah, sure.' but instead, Jayne appeared from behind the wall as she heard her name.

"Keep it cool." Ariadne reminded Jules. "Remember, she's just a human."

Jayne stepped forward. "Are you two the ticket winners?" What Ariadne saw that she found interesting was that Jayne wasn't wearing any makeup, her hair wasn't done and she was wearing sweatpants.

"This is Jules." She pushed her friend forward. "She might be paralyzed now."

Jayne laughed. Was that a good sign or a bad sign?

"Hey..." Jules could hardly speak in the presence of such an entertainer.

"She's not gonna faint, is she?"

"Hopefully not." Ariadne slung an arm around Jules. "So what's first?"

"First, you have to take your clothes off."

Ariadne looked over at Jules with the 'You didn't tell me that' look. "Uh… is it required?"

"Yeah." Said Jules. "How else are they gonna scrub you?"

"I take it you've never been to a spa." Said Jayne. "That's fine."

A woman in a black dress and high heels stepped into their sight with a clipboard in hand.

"If you ladies would follow me to get changed." A smile added to her soothing voice. Ariadne and Jules were brought to a locker room that looked far different than the one's in derby; the lockers were white with their own automatic locks, and it felt as if it was in a beauty parlor. The woman gave them each a bathrobe.

"So where are Ivory and Lucy?" Ariadne asked Jayne.

"They're already changed and waiting." Said Jayne. "I told them to stick around but no, they didn't listen. Spa trips never get old for them."

"Aren't they your sidekicks?" Jules asked as she threw off her shirt.

"More like close friends." Said Jayne. "I wouldn't call them 'sidekicks'."

"You seem more down-to-earth than I thought." Ariadne commented.

"Well I carry my own train."

"So…" Jules was almost in her bathrobe. "Are you and Miley still feuding?"

"All she has to do is apologize." Jayne laughed. "But she's too stuck up to."

"I hear you." Ariadne looked over at Jules. The redhead telepathically received her friend's thoughts of Joe.

"Yeah. Ariadne's guy-friend has a stuck up bitch for a girlfriend." Jules smirked.

"Ironic how guys always choose the stupid girls before the smart ones." Jayne tied the fuzzy belt around her waist. "That lady said to go to the waiting room where the others are. We're getting massages first."

"I never got a massage." Ariadne confessed. "I'm serious, never."

"Well you're in for a treat then because these ladies are the best."

The three women walked down the hallway to the waiting area wearing just their panties under the bathrobes. "You wish Eames were here." Ariadne teased her friend who gave her the finger.

"There's nothing more going on between me and him." Jules whispered back. "He's in his thirties."

"So?"

They ended up in a circle shaped room bordered with funky white couches. The drapes on the ceiling glowed purple and the lamps hanging next to them were barely lit. A girl with long white hair and another with short orange hair were sitting together.

"Ivory, Lucy, this is Jules the contest winner and this is her friend Ariadne."

"I saw you last night." Said Ivory to Ariadne. "Nick was gushing over you."

"He loves people with Greek names." Lucy explained in her Australian accent.

"Is your hair naturally that red?" Ivory looked over at Jules's locks.

"Uh… yeah it is."

"I told you." Ivory scoffed at Lucy.

Jayne crossed her arms in slight annoyance. "Alright Curly and Larry. Don't go poking each other's eyes out over it."

The woman in the dress from before entered the room. "Pardon me ladies but your massages are ready."

After getting an intense deep tissue rubbing and a hardcore mud facial, Ariadne was escorted to a private room with a huge tub. It was filled with various bath salts and lilac petals. The four other women were already settled in.

"We were talking about your little feud with Joe." Said Jules to crack the ice.

"It was just a little argument." Ariadne excused herself. "Joe can't keep me away from him. I'll hang out with him as much as I want."

"What are you gonna do when she comes for you then?" Ivory asked.

"I can take her." She replied confidently. "She's just a ballerina. I played roller derby. Odds are, I'll win a fight against her."

"You played derby? You know what's funny is that you look like my mom. She's the skater Shadowbrat."

"I don't see it." Said Ariadne.

"You're both short, have the same brunette tone, the same eyes and even the same face shape. You could be her twin." Lucy debated.

"Maybe." Said Jules. "But the Eiffel Spider over here can skate twice as fast as your mom." Ariadne looked over at her a little panicked.

"You have to be kidding me Jules. You know that girl can kick my ass back to Paris!"

"But I won't." Said Jayne. "And my mom is pretty fast, so you'd be like Ivory on skates."

"I run very fast." Said the white haired model.

"And back to Joe and Rodger." Jayne stated. "Just know this about decent men; they're like jewelry. They look good on some girls but not all of them. Think of Rodger like the diamond from _Titanic_. Right now, Joes wearing it. You didn't care at first but then she said, 'Don't look at it, don't touch it, don't think of it'. Now you're mad. Your pissed even because you like that diamond whether it's on you or not."

"Who taught you that metaphor?" Jules asked.

"I made it up." Jayne told her. "So as I was saying, you're mad. If she keeps on rubbing that diamond in your face and then saying, 'Back off,' she's making herself a target. You know that diamond is worth much better. It shouldn't be shown off, swung around or thrown. It should be gently handled and cared for. It doesn't matter if you or someone else is wearing it. You just don't want to see her wear it."

"That's makes perfect sense." Said Ariadne. "But I don't have feelings for Rodger."

Jayne picked up some enchanted water with her hands and inhaled it before pouring it back in the tub. "You will soon." She told Ariadne. "And like jewelry, men can be stolen."


	6. Vigo

The two had to get up early the next morning, as _Calypso_ stopped at their first city.

"Attention passengers, we have ported in Vigo Spain. Those of you who have signed up for an excursion, you must be off the ship by nine and in your designated Sedan. Be freshened up, have a full breakfast, and we'll see you on land."

"Well, time for your first free excursion." said Jules.

"I'm so excited." Ariadne took out her camera bag to inspect her Nikon. "I'm going to get some gorgeous shots."

"With a fancy ass camera like that, I wouldn't doubt that." Ariadne chuckled and put her camera away. "So while you're out there getting some shots, how about you take a few creeper pictures of Rodger and Joe?"

"Why don't I just take pictures of Eames instead?" The architect called back teasingly. "Seriously, just ask him out already."

Jules stepped out of the bathroom still running her brush through her hair. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Pardon?" Ariadne pulled out a shirt, a pair of tan shorts and a random scarf.

"You can draw, sculpt, paint, take pictures, drive motorcycles, make a computer do anything, guide people to their dreams and skate twice as fast as Shadowbrat." Jules listed. "What can't you do?"

"That's easy." Ariadne threw off her pajamas and closed her door. "I can't sing, dance, play an instrument…"

"Those skills are useless."

"I can't cook. Are you saying that's useless?"

"You didn't list cooking before that." Jules pointed out.

"I can't garden or fish either."

"Well there are gardeners and fisherman who can cover that for you."

"Alright." Ariadne revised. "So your saying I can pass as an artist, sculptor, painter, photographer, biker, hacker, therapist and derby girl along with architect?"

"Your one hell of a talented woman." Jules reminded her. "I swear one day, you're going to create building that people would only see in dreams."

"Until then, I'm a vacationer." Ariadne stepped out dressed with her camera bag hanging from her shoulder. "If I want to nap on the deck, have a whiskey, or eat a lobster, then I will."

"What are you gonna do about Joe?"

Ariadne raised her eyebrows. "Nothing. As long as she stays out of my face, then I see no reason to fight her." A knock was delivered to their ears.

"You ladies ready yet?" it was Eames.

"We're coming." Ariadne told him. "Joe is probably fussing over what to wear."

"Stupid bitch." Jules huffed.

A half hour later, they had eaten and were off the ship. When they got into the Sedan with their names on the sign, the driver brought the three of them up the El Castro Mountain to the seventeenth century fort that sat high above the city.

Ariadne stepped out of the car to view the ships in the bay. From where she was standing, she captured Vigo itself in only one shot. As she was capturing ships with the highly enhanced lens, she noticed something down the way. Two figures, a man and a woman. More specifically, Arthur and Joe. They were looking out at the view.

Arthur looked captivated, but Joe looked like she's rather be shopping in the States. Even if it was wrong, Ariadne set her camera to take several shots at a time. With one swift movement and a quick press of the button, she had on her camera saved pictures of the couple.

When they craned her heads, her camera was looking at the ships again. Ariadne turned around and waved innocently. _'When are you going to realize that I'm the one for you?' She_ wondered.

Next, Ariadne, Jules and Eames were driven south. "I saw what you did." Ariadne turned to look at Eames as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"She looked bored. I thought it was funny."

"How can you be bored in a city like this?" Jules asked.

"Apparently, Orange County has more to offer."

"Fuck Orange County." Jules sneered. "I want to see this Valença do Miño town."

Valença do Miño was an ancient town that stood on commanding heights above the Miño River. It formed the border between Spain and Portugal. As they stopped at the medieval village, they got to see on various points on the old town walls, excellent views over the new town, the Miño Valley, the Eiffel bridge, the mountains of Galicia and the Spanish town of Tui.

"I can't believe I get to see all this for free." Said Ariadne as she snapped some more great shots. "Miles will love these pictures."

To go along with what she's seen before, Ariadne got to take more photos of Gothic architecture and ancient churches. For her, the excursion went by too fast.

As she was distracted with her photography, Eames and Jules were silently standing next to one another in awkward silence. They both wanted to make a move, but both didn't want to go first. Eames knew that it was usually the guy who asked the girl. Jules knew those rules could be changed.

"So… what are you gonna do when we get back to the ship?" she started.

"Have some lunch then go swimming maybe. Why?" Eames crossed his arms. Jules sighed. Her pale face and green eyes said, 'Cut the crap and ask me out already.' It wasn't clear enough apparently. He liked tattooed redheads and she liked tattooed guys with accents. They were perfect for each other.

She figured that she would have to melt the ice. "I was thinking maybe we could do something." Jules remembered the last time a guy rejected her; she threw a rock through his car window and said, 'You break it, you buy it!'

"What do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Lunch and swimming?" She considered what he was doing. "Just you and me, no Ariadne?"

"Like a date?" Eames smirked.

"It's not much of a date is it?" Jules asked sheepishly. "You know what, forget I said anything."

"Why?" Eames questioned. "I think it's cool for you to make the first move. Personally, I think women better when they step up first." He put an arm around her waist.

"So that's a yes?"

"We better get the hell out of here and back on that ship."


	7. Spider Has Venom

"Hey Jules, you wanna get lunch?" Ariadne asked her as they got back on the ship.

"I can't." she told her. "I'm having lunch with Eames."

Ariadne laughed in slight amazement. "He asked you already?"

"I asked him." Jules grinned. "If there was something I learned today that had nothing to do with Vigo, it's that men think it's hot for women to make the first move."

"Really…" Ariadne reminded herself to write that down somewhere before thinking about what she was going to do for lunch.

At the buffet, Ariadne took a seat out on the deck with her laptop. The cameras memory card uploaded the hundreds of pictures she captured. She was smart to take out the one's of Arthur and Joe and hide them in a special folder. Her lunch remained untouched since she didn't want taco beef on the keyboard.

"So how was the first excursion?" she turned her head and saw Arthur taking a seat.

"Where do I begin?"

Arthur peered at the computer screen, as Aridane was sorting through the photos. "I saw you with that big camera. I always had a feeling you enjoyed photography."

"Well I couldn't take architecture classes until I passed drawing, sculpting and of course, photography." Ariadne knew that Arthur had knowledge of it but she wanted to seem more intelligent to him. "So did you have fun in Vigo?"

"I did." Arthur looked onto the view of Vigo they had from the deck. "I thought it was enjoyable. Joe on the other hand kept on getting tired of moving."

"It was a Jeep tour where you get out of the car for a few minutes at a time." Ariadne raised her eyebrows. "Tell her next time to wear flat shoes."

"I did." Arthur chuckled. "She just tells me, 'Fashion is pain' every time."

"Alright, now let me ask you something." Her voice was turned down and she leant closer to him. "How long do you think you can keep lying to her?"

"She's not going to find out a thing." He assured calmly.

"Yeah, but-" Ariadne stopped her lips as Joe stepped outside.

"What are you two chatting about?" she asked trying to seem patient.

"Uh… We were talking about the Titanic." Ariadne smiled. She was tempted to add, 'You know what that is, right?' but left the rest to Arthur.

"I was always researching it as a kid."

"Don't you wish you could just dive down there and explore the wreckage?"

"That would be quite an excursion."

Ariadne's smile died down when she saw the look on Joe's face. "Is there a problem?"

"What makes you think there's a problem?" Joe crossed her arms impatiently.

"You're giving me the stink-eye." Ariadne closed her laptop and stood up. "So I'll leave you two alone. Have a nice lunch."

"Wait, where are you going?" Arthur could feel himself growing disappointed.

"The gym." She scoffed. "To get a head start for derby."

With that, she left. The taco on her plate was completely untouched.

"What was that about?" Arthur asked calmly as Joe took Ariadne's chair.

"That was nothing, sweetie." She cooed. "I bet she's tired from the excursion."

"She just said she was going to the gym." Arthur specified firmly.

"Tired as in cranky. So am I. I'm just ready to relax now." Joe yawned. "I missed a few snoozing hours."

"Alright Joe… I think it's best that you keep a distance from Ariadne." Her boyfriend advised.

"You seriously think that girl can hurt me?" Joe challenged.

"She had a very stressful year and she's still not recovered." Arthur explained. "I was there for her when she almost lost it and it's not surprising that she wants to be around me."

"What happened?"

"She'd get angry if I told you." Arthur sighed. "Just stay away from her. Let her have her vacation because it's what she seriously needs."

"She never seemed miserable."

"Because she's hiding." Said Arthur. "All of that working out in the gym makes her feel better just like dancing makes you feel better."

"Alright sweetie." She was finished with the topic. "I get it. So what sounds good for lunch?"

The gym was like Heaven for fitness nuts. There were treadmills, bikes, weights, punching bags and a view of the sea to top it all off. Cold towels were always provided with icy water bottles as the small percentage of passengers sculpted their bodies.

A girl in a purple sports bra and black spandex shorts was jabbing her gloved fists into a punching bag. If it wasn't chained to the ceiling, she had a feeling she could bust it off. No one was watching as this pint sized woman made the bag swing six feet in the air like a pendulum.

"Hey Kitty, I thought I'd find you in here." A masculine voice came from behind. Ariadne turned around to show the guy he was not Kitty. That guy was Lance Alvers. "Oh excuse me, I thought you were my wife."

"Jayne says I look like her." Ariadne chuckled. She was not used to talking to famous people but she sure wasn't desperate.

"You talked to Jayne?" Lance pointed his finger at her, which was a habit he hated.

"Yeah, my friend won that contest and we went to the spa with her. She's cool." Ariadne mopped the sweat off her face. "Her friends think I look like your wife."

"Well you fooled me." Lance laughed to hide his embarrassment. "Especially since you were kickboxing, I definitely thought you were her. Jayne told me about your friend and how she said you're a good skater."

Ariadne nodded. "I used to play and I'm considering joining the Paris Rollergirls when I get the chance."

"Well good luck kid." Lance smiled before walking out. "Your gonna raise Hell."

Ariadne took a moment to smile for herself before resuming her date with Mr. Punching bag. In her mind, she pictured it as a certain cocky blonde.

"Very nice."

Ariadne put her arms down, ready to launch again soon. "What do you want Joe?"

"Rodger said I should stay away from you." Joe stepped into the area, which to her was a forbidden zone. Ariadne tightened her ponytail and put her hands on her hips to serve as a warning.

"Rodger's very smart. When he gives advice, you should take it."

"I hope to once I settle this."

"Look, I'm not in the mood for you to tell me to stay away from Rodger. I have something to settle too;" Ariadnes tongue was sharp around the edges of her speech. "Deal with the fact that Rodger and I are good friends. If you think I have feelings for him like you do, then you really are a dumb blonde. I'm not going to listen to you and stay away from him. In fact, I'm gonna spend time with him, whether or not it's going to shows, eating dinner or just sitting by the pool. He's allowed to be friends with women."

"I will give you Hell," Joe snapped. "If you make any more moves on him. I saw what you did yesterday at breakfast. 'Hi Rodger'." Joe mocked out a deep voice.

"You know something," Ariadne was growing angry like a scorching marshmallow. "When I met you, I thought we could have been great friends. I was wrong. And let me say I'm disappointed. What the hell does he see in you?"

With that, Ariadne picked up her gym bag and walked out. Deep down she wished she punched Joe in the face as proof of their conversation to Arthur.


	8. Elephants

_Calypso_'s next port was at no other than Casablanca, Morocco. Ariadne was able to get out of bed for her next excursion. Jules got up as her friend was setting up the Nikon.

"So you ready to go to the city with the same name as the movie?" she asked. "They have lots of scarf stands." Jules mentioned that as Ariadne was tying on a floral green scarf. For a moment, she was confused.

"Oh, that movie." Ariadne remembered watching it to kill boredom when the movie actually did the opposite. "Seriously, why is it considered romance?"

"Who knows." Jules shrugged. "All I know its it's nothing like that romance movie you hide in your underwear drawer."

"You looked though my stuff?"

"I thought I was opening my dresser and I saw it. You said you hated romance movies."

"I do." Ariadne defended herself. "_500 Days of Summer_ is a movie about romance. It is not a romance movie."

"Whatever." Jules rolled her eyes.

"I only watch it when I'm sick!"

"Ok, I believe you." Jules finished. She had a feeling Ariadne wouldn't last long. During the excursion, Jules stayed by both her and Eames and looked out closely at Ariadnes gestures and facial expressions. I was hard to tell when she had a camera over one eye.

Jules found it humorous how Ariadne was taking pictures with a long lens and riding a camel at the same time. She carefully brought out her phone and took a picture. Looking behind, she observed Arthur and Joe. Poor Joe was hanging on for dear life like the camel was crossing a rigid bridge one thousand feet over the ground.

After the camel tour, the group got to go shopping in the market. It was just like in the movie, with individual stands holding silk, lace, jewelry, produce and perfume bottles. There was a sword stand that Ariadne was interested in. To bad security wouldn't let her take it on board.

She picked up the first one on display and ran her hand over it. A grin expanded on her innocent face.

"Miss, you have to pay!" The salesman yelled as Ariadne walked off with it calmly. Jules looked onward confused.

"Oh I love this necklace, and this bracelet too." Joe and Arthur were at a jewelry stand and she was interested in everything shiny. "Are these real rubies?"

"You want real rubies?" Ariadne asked, the handle clutched in her fist. "My pleasure." With one swing, the ballerina's head and body fell to the ground. "Now those are rubies." Ariadne planted the sword into the dirt. Arthurs face was completely horrified.

"Trust me, you will get over it."

"Ariadne." She was back in reality, looking at the sword stand. "What was that about?"

"Oh," Ariadne looked at her friend sheepishly. "I had a day dream. So are you ready?"

"Let's go."

Arthur managed to get himself away from Joe for a moment. He told her to check out the ships gift shop while he did a little mission. Walking on the main deck with a box behind his back, he scoped out the little architect.

A short brunette in a purple bikini passed by drinking a margarita. "Ariadne!" he called. The woman turned around. Right away, Arthur felt foolish. The woman had two swans tattooed to her abdomen instead of an Eiffel Tower on her hip. Designer sunglasses hid her eyes.

He didn't just stop any other person. That was Kitty Pryde. Arthur barely knew a thing about her but what he heard was that she was very tough.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." He apologized.

"No worries." She brushed off his regret.

"Have you seen another woman around here that looks like you?" he asked.

"Uh… Actually yeah. She walked past me about thirty minutes ago to go upstairs. She had a sketch pad if that helps at all."

"Thank you."

Arthur journeyed up the stairs and looked around the giant loop to see if she was there. For a while, he walked around. Ariadne wasn't in plain sight. When Arthur reached the front of the ship, he noticed a small brunette sitting down, distracted with her drawing.

Arthur walked up to see what she was drawing. He found himself impressed by the shading. On paper, Ariadne was bringing to life a mermaid, sitting on a rock and looking onto the full moon. Her long hair exceeded the length of the rock.

"That's very good."

Ariadne looked up seemingly annoyed but recognized his voice.

"How did you manage to get Joe to stop following you?" she questioned playfully.

"It wasn't easy." He said. "I'm pretty sure the distractions wearing off. I got you something in Casablanca today."

Ariadne turned her head off her drawing and looked at the box in his hands. "You bought me something?"

"Well, I saw it and thought of you." Arthur smiled, handing her the box. Ariadne pulled the ribbon off and threw off the lid.

"Elephants?" she pulled the silk scarf from it's carrier, running her fingers though it. The scarf was blue with as she said, circus elephants marching. "I don't know what the say."

"All you have to say is 'thank you'." He said. Ariadne untied the scarf on her neck and replaced it with the new one.

"Besides 'thank you.' But thank you, I love it."

"So how many scarves do you have now?"

"Maybe fifty." She said. "So for once, your girlfriend isn't watching you like a hawk." Ariadne assumed that Arthur knew Joe's thoughts but pretended to be to love-struck to care. "So, what would happen if she found out?"

"I told you before, she never will."

"How can you be so sure?" Ariadne questioned. "How long exactly are you going to pretend to date her?"

Arthur seemed to think she was serious. Pretending? "Just because I pretend to be a musician does not mean I'm pretending to date her."

"Oh, I thought you were. She's a real charmer Arthur." Ariadne was ready to crack. "She's so innocent." She closed her sketchbook.

"Alright, what's going on?" he asked gently.

"Your girlfriend is a bitch." She snapped. "I don't want to hate her but she gives me great reason too. Just ask Jules because she'll tell you the truth if you can't believe me."

Arthur processed her harsh words quickly in his mind. "In what ways, Ariadne? I'll believe you."

"You'll wish you didn't." she spat. "The first night on the ship, she came into my suite and asked me what I thought about 'Rodger'. I told her 'Rodger' was cool and she said, 'Well too bad because he's mine, so stay away from him.'"

"And what did you say to her?"

"I told her that I wouldn't stay away and you had the right to have female friends. And there's more. Yesterday, she approached me in the gym. She accused me of having feelings for you and claimed I was out to steal you."

"She approached you yesterday?"

"Yes."

Arthur sighed. "Alright, let's go. Were going to find Joe and have an intervention."

"Great." Ariadne agreed, standing up. "I can't wait."


	9. Intervention

Dinner next to the ocean was always romantic to Jules, especially when the sun was in between the flowing blue blanket. Sitting by a table for two, she found herself in deep conversation with Eames over just about anything. It was their second date if the gym date didn't count. For the first time, Jules got to wear her mint Betsey Johnson dress.

"Tell me how you met Ariadne." Eames queried.

"Well how did you meet her?" Jules slowly took a sip of champagne.

"Ladies first." Eames smirked. He needed to get his mandatory lie out strait.

Jules smiled at the old memories. "We met in preschool, first day. She came up to me and asked me why my hair was so red. I told her I didn't know but mentioned my mom really liked it. She said, 'I think it looks funny'. I looked for some feature on her for me to point out but couldn't find one. She was this little brunette with freckles all over…"

"She had freckles?"

"Still does. They're so light you can't notice them. So I asked her what her name was and she had trouble pronouncing it. I said 'You don't know your own name?' and she snapped back, 'I know my name, it's just tricky!'"

Eames chuckled. "I wouldn't blame her. It must have taken her a long time to learn how to spell it."

"It always confused her. We officially became friends at recess one day. It was really hot and Ariadne was playing in the sandbox, making a sandcastle. Three girls in our class came up to her, all of them blondes wearing pink, and they kicked her castle down. I was sitting on the merry-go-round when I saw this. The leader said, 'What kind of stupid name is Ariadne?' and her friends were all like, 'Yeah!' The second one said, 'It's spring, why are you wearing a scarf weirdo?'"

"And she put up with it?"

"She didn't learn how to fight until after her mother died." Said Jules. "So these girls were pissing me off, so I went over in front of Ariadne and told them to leave her alone. The leader said, 'Bite me!' and I did. I bit her in the arm so hard that she screamed bloody murder. It's too bad she didn't bleed."

"I can see that." Eames praised. "And you became friends with her that day?"

"I got a big timeout, but it was worth it. She even joined me for it. And that is why we despise blondes." Jules grinned and picked up a piece of calamari. "Now it's your turn."

"Uh… actually, I want to say something else." Eames turned the topic around. Instead of making up a lie about how he became acquainted with the architect, he wanted to be truthful about something else. "I need to be honest with you because you're a very smart woman and you don't deserve to be messed with."

"Are you about to tell me you're a womanizer?" She predicted. "I sorta figured it out for myself."

"And still you asked me out?"

"Well my first impression on you was that you are definitely not a virgin. The harder a man is to get, the more I want him."

"I'm just afraid I might hurt you." He said. "I've been trying my hardest to stop for six years."

"So what makes you want to stop and commit to one woman?" The Ginger asked. Eames sighed.

"Lucy." He began. "I let her spend the night with me since her house was burned down. Yes, I had sex with her and I almost regret it. She called me a few days later and said she was pregnant. She was yelling at me because she hated kids and I promised her it wouldn't happen. That's when I felt bad. It made me wonder if I had other kids I didn't know about."

"So what did you do?"

"The day she went into labor, I decided to go to the hospital. She was still very angry with me that she wouldn't let me comfort her. The moment my son was born, she told the doctor to take him out of her sight."

"She said that about her own baby?" Jules was slightly vexed.

"I wound up being the one to name him Michael. Since I had no idea how to take care of a baby, I got him a foster family. Whenever I could, I visited him. He's five years old now and he is one of the coolest kids you'd ever meet. He takes after his dad." Eames explained calmly. "He's encouraged me to clean up. I just want to be his hero now and not some whoremonger."

"Wow…" Jules ate the last piece of calamari. "And I thought you wouldn't be sensitive enough to tell me that."

"Well you don't come up to me like other women and tell me how perfect I am." Said Eames. "You reminded me that I'm a screw-up. For that, I say thank you." He raised his glass of beer to his lips.

Ariadne gazed at herself in the full-length mirror. In a few minutes, she would go to Arthur and Joe's suite. A little intervention was going to come in play. Ariadne knew she had nothing to be afraid of; Joe was guilty in every way. But would some harsh words be enough to keep the blonde monster back?

"If I were you, I'd tell her." A wise voice called upon her, making her jump. The illusions were back! In the mirror behind her was a new one; the last time she saw the illusion as the real person, she was wearing gold fishnets, a green tank top and a pair of aggressive skates.

"Lioness." Ariadne turned to face her. "I thought one of these days you'd come."

"Your rare disorder called me." The other short brunette placed her hands on her hips. "This Joe character is a bitch."

"You're going to tell me to destroy her." Ariadne guessed.

"I'm not the real Lioness, remember?" the imaginary roller girl reminded her, skating over to the bed. "The only way Joe will back off is if you tell her what happened between you and Jean. If she's planning to treat Arthur the same way, let her know that you'll be onto her."

"I already am."

"You sure do want to beat the shit out of that whore." Lioness prowled. "I love a good blonde-brunette brawl."

"You know I can't. Arthur would be mad." Ariadne ran her fingers through the present he gave her.

"And you don't want to make him mad." Lioness skated beside her, almost making contact with her. The illusions blue eyes lit up the room. "You know you have feelings for him."

"I don't." Ariadne sneered.

"You do." Lioness told her. "And you're going to steal him under Joes nose job."

"Just because…"

"You don't really think he kissed you to scare off those projections, do you? While he had you in that little secretary costume." Lioness leaned against the wall, her chestnut mane falling to the side. "Grab him while she still feels sorry for you."

Ariadne faced her, looking the illusion in the icy eyes.

"No."

She grabbed her suite key and left.

"I'm having someone over." Arthur told Joe strictly. "Someone you know. And you're not leaving this room until we get some problems fixed."

A knock came on the door and Arthur immediately answered it. "Ariadne, do come in."

"Thank you, Rodger." Ariadne stepped into their territory with a smirk.

"Can I get you a drink?" he offered.

"Just coffee, thank you." Ariadne sat down. "Hey Joe."

"You invited her?" Joe looked over at Arthur. "What's going on?"

"You should know." Arthur started the coffee maker. "That's why she's here."

"I told Rodger about what you said to me." Ariadne sneered. "He's really pissed off at you."

"I just want to get to the bottom of this." Arthur sat between them at the edge of the bed as coffee started dripping into the pot. "I don't want my girlfriend and female friend fighting."

"Just because we're complete opposites does not mean you have to fight me." Said Ariadne.

"So Joe, Ariadne told me you said some things to her." Arthur started, sounding like the host of an intervention show. "What did you say to her?"

Joe shrugged. "I told her that I didn't want her flirting with you."

"Is that true Ariadne?"

"You told me to not speak with him at all." Ariadne snapped.

"And is it true you went looking for her after I instructed you clearly not too?"

Joe sighed. "Yes."

"And what did you say to her?"

"The same thing I said to her before." Joe's voice was growing shy. "Ok, I admit that I was being a bitch to Ariadne. I was worried that she would steal you during the trip and that you wouldn't want to spend time with me!" she stood up and paced in front of them.

"Actually, I'm here to spend most of the time with Jules." Ariadne replied simply. "The last thing I want right now is a relationship."

"Joe, I told you Ariadne had a little bit of a tough past." Arthur put his arm over Ariadne's shoulders and brought her to him for comfort. "I'm not going to tell you exactly what, but if you want to know, you can ask her."

"I got beaten up by my last boyfriend." She muttered. "He was obsessive. I almost didn't get out."

"Oh my God." Joe grew wide-eyed. "You're serious?"

"I had two surgeries because of him. And I almost didn't graduate."

Joe placed her hand on her heart, her fingers encircling the diamond cross. "My God, how awful." Ariadne simply nodded, for she felt like it was the only thing she could do then. "Ariadne… God, I'm so sorry! I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't know." Ariadne almost snapped. "You can't look into somebody's eyes and see their lives in a flash. You probably don't know what date abuse is like."

"I don't." Joe admitted. "And I shouldn't be so selfish. I just really hope we can start over… can we?" Her last question was pretty shy of pitch. Ariadne stood up.

"I'd like that." Ariadne straitened her spine. "But if I catch you abusing Rodger in anyway, I will throw you off the ship. So, anyone for coffee?"


	10. Frank

In the black chilly night, it wasn't the most popular idea to sit in a hot tub, for fear of the freezing after-effect. But the boiling pots were always full when Earths eye was blue and the girls never had the chance to relax in one. Only one other tub was being used and the people in it were quiet. It was the perfect night to stargaze.

Ariadne and Jules were sitting in the hot tub, hogging it from other people. In the center was a small table consisting of two beers.

"Isn't this perfect?" Ariadne asked. "It's not noisy, the stars are out, the moon is shining…"

"And the bar is still open." Jules added. "This is good beer, is it Canadian?"

"All good beer is Canadian." Ariadne leaned her head back. "So how was your date with Eames?"

Jules chortled as she looked back on her dinner with him. "He's a British pimp."

"You're just figuring this out?" Ariadne asked in shock.

"He's trying to stop." Jules told her. "Since he's with me now, I'm calling the shots. I'm the only woman in a while whose refused to sleep with him after the first date. He was baffled."

"That's Eames for you."

Jules paused for a brief moment. The moon in the distance had a star twinkling right next to it.

"Did he tell you he had a son?"

"That's not very surprising." Ariadne commented. "I know he had to have at least one but I had no idea what they'd be like."

"His name is Michael, he's five years old and he loves comic books." Jules summarized. "If this relationship lasts, I might get to meet him."

"He sounds cool. Takes after his dad?"

"He's a spitting image… so what did you do today?"

"I went to see Rodger and Joe. We had an intervention."

"You told him?" Jules turned around, swishing water away from her waist.

"He had to know." Said Ariadne. "You see, he gave me a gift today from Casablanca—"

"A gift!" Jules squealed. "What did he get you?"

"A scarf with elephants on it. Then we got into this conversation about Joe and I confessed my feelings. So he planned an intervention. Joe will shut up now."

"How do you know that for sure?"

Ariadne sighed deeply. "I told her about Jean."

"Are you crazy?" Jules spat. "She's gonna use that against you!"

"Mentioning Jean was the only thing I could do to get her to listen. I told her if I caught her abusing Rodger, I would throw her overboard. And I mean it. Anyway, to start over, Rodger wants us to play tennis tomorrow."

"Tennis? You suck at tennis."

"Either that or basketball." Ariadne rolled her head towards her friend.

"Hola Senoritas." A Spanish accent purred out.

"Oh no." Jules put the side of her hand against her forehead. "Not this guy again."

"Who's this?" Ariadne asked as she turned around. Behind them was a short Hispanic man in a wife beater and baggy pants. He was carrying a bottle of Captain Morgan.

"Who's your friend Rojo?" he questioned Jules.

"Don't talk to him." Jules told her.

"What did he do?"

"He keeps hitting on me." Jules rolled her eyes.

"Hola Senorita Morena." He sat down next to the tub. "My name is Jose, favorite of the ladies."

"Jose, how many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?" Jules snapped.

"Until you stop telling me." Jose smirked. "Who is your pretty friend?"

"Jose, my friend won't sleep with you either." Jules snapped. "So piss off."

"He's got Captain Morgan." Ariadne whispered harshly to her. In the past, Ariadne had to sketch a naked man in her art class. He was in the Captain Morgan pose, with one foot on the floor and the other on a stool. She never recovered.

"Want a shot?" he offered.

Ariadne lifted her beer glass and took a sip. "I'm good."

Jules sighed. "Not in this lifetime. Or the next."

"Not even in your dreams." Ariadne sassed. Her arm went around Jules's shoulders as she glared at him. Flames came in her eyes until he decided to give up for the night.

"He'll be back." Jules sighed again. "It's a good thing I have Eames right now. I suggest you grab one too."

"A guy? You know what happened last time."

"A guy for the trip. Not to go home with you and call you and what not; just a summer fling. You don't even have to date."

"Is that it with you and Eames? A summer fling?"

Jules smiled. "If we play our cards right, it won't be."

The main deck was overpopulated once more with swimmers and tanners the next afternoon. Jules was with Eames in the hot tub they grabbed. Ariadne walked in holding a tennis racket. Behind her was Joe in full tennis playing uniform, carrying Arthur with her.

"Lets watch." She told him.

Ariadne and Joe stepped into the cage. Arthur stood behind the fence to ref them.

"I want a nice clean game!" he said. "We're friends now, so play nice."

"Oh I'll play nice." Ariadne muttered to herself. She tightened the scarf Arthur gave her for good luck. Jules and Eames stepped up to the fence.

"Kick her butt!" Jules hollered. Joe rolled her eyes and served.

Better tennis was played in tampon commercials. Joe was a much better server than Ariadne. Ariadne was the one who often had to get the ball when it reached out of bounds. When she served, she had a tendency to aim for Joe rather than her racket. Joe was hit in the forehead, the eyes, the knee, the breast and the elbow, getting up quickly after each blow.

"Quit hitting me!" Joe burst. Ariadne shrugged innocently.

"Sorry. Thing is, I'm not good at tennis like you are. You win." Ariadne dropped her racket and paced out of the cage. "I'm gonna draw stuff."

Arthur looked over at Jules who just nodded. "She didn't tell you, did she?"

Back at her usual spot, Ariadne was drawing derby girls again. She had the idea for a while to color out what Hogwarts derby girls would look like. She had the Gryffindor girl with a red helmet holding a gold star, wearing the same golden fishnets Lioness's illusion did. As she was coloring in the jersey, she heard an unfamiliar voice say her name.

"Ariadne Cavandar?"

For a moment, she didn't dare turn around. Eventually she did to face a friendly looking man with aqua eyes and a sweet smile. His solid brown hair was swept to the side.

"Who are you?"

"Uh… if I'm talking to the right woman, then you'd know that we went to high school together. Parry Sound."

"You went to Parry Sound?" she asked immediately engaged. "I never saw you."

"Well you did. I asked you to the homecoming dance freshman year and you gave me a wedgie."

Ariadne looked back at moments during freshman year. Looking through her memory archives, she opened up 'freshman year' and flipped to 'October'.

"You and your friends called me Stanky Franky." He hinted.

"Frank!" she exclaimed. "Oh my God… this is not you!"

"It's me." He said happily.

"W-what happened to the acne? The glasses and the headgear?" She was so surprised. Last time she saw Frank was at their graduation ceremony.

"Acne cleared up, I got contact lenses and the headgear finally came off." He explained.

"Wait… how did you know it was me?" she asked. Ariadne looked drastically different in high school than she did currently.

"Your short, I noticed you were wearing a scarf, and your drawing." He looked down at her work in progress. "Cool idea. Do you play?"

"I hope to soon." She replied. Ariadne started to get quiet after she looked back on all the times they had.

"What's wrong?"

Ariadne sighed with guilt. "We were terrible to you." She shook her head with disapproval. "We called you names and we harassed you… why would you even want to speak to me again, or even see me?"

"People change." He said. "Everyone is much more grown up now. Speaking of which, what happened to your clique?"

"Uh… Mirra and Jenaya are living it up in LA, Lioness is playing derby but I haven't spoke to her in forever, and Jules is on the ship with me. So you'll have two of us apologizing."

Frank smiled lightly. "Don't worry about it."

She found her guy.


	11. Just To Look Normal

Ariadne was trapped in giggles that night. Lance Alvers was performing stand up comedy with silly songs. She was at a table for two, both of them sipping Canadian beer. They laughed simultaneously, drank an equal amount of glasses and clapped at every joke.

"I didn't know he could tell jokes too." She breathed as they walked out of the comedy hall.

"I told you he was funny." Frank bragged.

"You were right." Ariadne picked up her glowing phone to see a text from Jules.

**Eames and I are hot tubbing. Wanna join us? Bring Frank.**

"So, what are you gonna do now?" she asked him. "Jules and her… guy friend are in a hot tub and two spots are open."

"Hot tub?" he swallowed. "You want me to… get in a hot tub?"

Ariadne was confused for a moment but then laughed. "No silly, not like that at all!"

"Oh… well then that would be fun."

"Great. I'll change into my bathing suit and see you up there then." She waved goodbye and started venturing down the stairs. Ariadne stepped into her suite to strip down.

Her jean shorts dropped to the carpet. Before she could slip off her panties, she appeared again.

"You think it's wrong to use him. To make Arthur jealous." Lioness was standing in front of the mirror. "Sure it doesn't work all the time like in the movies… but why not try it?"

Ariadne scowled at the illusion displeased with what she was saying.

"After I nearly bullied him to death?" she snapped. "No."

"Oh please, he'll forgive you." Lioness sneered in defense. "He's forgiven you for doing something much worse."

Ariadne sighed and glared at the gold-fishnetted derby girl. "I'm not you Lioness. I don't use violence and greed to get what I want."

"You want that man though." She reminded her. "Do what it takes to grab him!"

The architect was tired of her mind suggesting mean ideas. "Go eat some rare meat or something."

"Meow." Lioness snickered. "We're getting feisty aren't we?"

Before Ariadne could protest, she was gone.

On the main deck, Jules and Eames were drinking in the hot tub. Eames was explaining to her what his tattoos meant when Ariadne and Frank stepped in.

"It feels much better at night." Ariadne commented to Frank. "It's very hot in the day, sometimes ninety-five degrees. Who would sit in a hot tub then?"

"I did that once in Arizona." Frank replied. "It was one hundred and five. But I turned orange."

"How come nothing rhymes with orange?" Jules asked out of complete randomness.

"You should make a word." Ariadne told her.

"Hey," Eames pointed behind him at Arthur and Joe. They were kissing on one of the beach chairs. When the others had his attention he shouted, "Who's winning!" The kiss broke and Ariadne covered her mouth to stop laughing.

"You made him mad! He's going to yell at you now."

"I don't give a fuck darling."

Arthur walked over to the hot tub passing the board with the rule saying he couldn't wear any clothes.

"Do you mind?" he asked calmly. "I'm trying to have a good vacation with my girlfriend. That does not include you acting like a high school boy."

Eames kept his smirk. "I just wanted to know the score. Who plays tonsil hockey better?"

Jules started snickering, her eyes looking into the bubbles. Arthur looked over at Ariadne to see her touching shoulders with Frank. "Who's this?"

"I'm Frank." He stood up to shake Arthurs hand, despite being soaking wet. "I went to high school with Ariadne and Jules." Arthur accepted the handshake after he heard the mention of high school.

"Rodger." Arthur fibbed once more. "That pretty lady over there is my girlfriend Joe."

"Who is that Rodger Rabbit?" Joe asked from afar. Eames and Jules burst into laughter.

"Oh God!" he slammed his palm on the drink table. "From now on Jules I'm calling you Jessica Rabbit."

"Fine by me." The red head made the signal with one hand. Being referred to a hot Disney character was sort of flattering.

"It suits you well since you can sing." Ariadne mentioned.

Joe stood up and walked over in her high heels. Ariadne looked down on the wet surface to see if she could pull off getting there. She stepped into the hot tub zone in her dress without slipping.

"I'm Frank." He said, shifting his hand to hers. "I'm Ariadnes friend."

"Friend?" she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yes Joe. A friend." Ariadne spoke more clearly as if talking to someone absent minded.

Joes face gazed over at hers like a snakes. 'I know what you're planning' was the look she was given.

'Prove it.'

It would be a while until the next excursion. For three days they remained at sea. The size of the ship made her slower. One disadvantage of Greek cruise ships were that they didn't sail quickly. Some people swore they never felt the ships moving below them sometimes; only in storms.

On the main deck, half the passengers relaxed. Eames and Jules were having a chicken fight in the pool with another couple. Frank was walking around with his video camera. Joe was laying in the sun.

Arthur was nowhere to be seen. He left when Joe got distracted with the rays to find Ariadne. She was at the front of the boat in the same place, sketching a black and white inked picture.

"Interesting. Who is that?" he sat beside her and looked at her work in process. On the paper was a sketch of a derby girl with her hands on her hips. She had babydoll pigtails, a bow tie around her neck, a shirt exposing her belly, ruffled panties and fishnets.

"I was thinking I could try to be someone else if I really do decide to try out." She said. "I don't want to be just another boring looking athlete."

"She looks like a bar waitress." He commented. "Your really gonna step out looking like that?"

"No one knows it'll be me." She repeated her last statement. "So, did you distract your girlfriend again to come see me?"

"Not this time." Arthur shook his head. "I don't have to. She has no control over me."

Funny, she thought. She seems to be in control of Rodger.

"We have to talk about Frank." He was now completely serious.

"Do you seriously think that I would ever go for him?" she questioned. "Sure he's attractive but I would never date him."

"I just don't want a repeat of last time." He placed his hand on her shoulder. Ariadnes eyes looked down at her feet.

"We're on a boat with people everywhere. There's no way he could-"

"There's always a way." He stopped her. "Don't assume that you're safe here."

"I meant if you were around." Ariadne finished. "Right when you got there, you didn't let anything else happen to me. So there's no way anything could happen here."

Arthur sighed and believed in a way, she was right. But he was still worried. He felt strongly like he had to speak with Frank. If he saw them touching in anyway, he would grow insecure.

"I'm keeping an eye on him." Arthur told her with the same strictness he used at work.

"That's fine by me." She agreed. "Look, you don't have to worry about being my bodyguard. You don't see me get suspicious at Joe, do you?"

"Why would you suspect her of that?" he nearly snapped.

"I just thought Arthur had better taste." Ariadne closed her sketchbook. "I didn't think even Rodger would make such a stupid choice."

"You do realize that I'm trying to look normal." He called out to her. "Dating her is one thing that helps with that. You don't really think I'm going to marry her, do you?"

"Honestly, I don't even like you pretending to love her." Ariadne confessed. "Sure, fake it. But with her?" She stood up. "The only woman you could marry would be someone who can handle the truth."

Arthur sighed as she walked away from him. In a way, she was right. He's been playing Joe for too long and he had to end it. But what the after effects would be, he didn't know. Joe could be so heartbroken, she'd move into another suite or spy on him. Maybe something worse would happen.

That night at dinner would be his chance to make that move.


	12. The Stars, The Sea, The Suit

While Ariadne was hosting a little party in her suite, Arthur was taking Joe out to dinner. He was nervous about what he had to do. It had to be done, but neither result would be pretty. And what made things worse… he was starting to think of Ariadne more.

Joe was dressed in one of her many expensive gowns for the first time. The pale-lilac embellished and draped gown turned heads in the grand restaurant. Diamond earrings and a diamond cross joined the piece.

"This is so nice." She told him looking out the window. "Dinner by the ocean is my favorite."

Arthur cleared his throat. "Technically, we're on a sea." He corrected politely.

"It's still salt water isn't it?" she pointed out.

Joe always had the luxury of scenic dinners and lovely clothes. Her father, Remy White, was the CEO of one of Europe's best interior design company. She basically lived like an heiress since she was born. Joe never wore clothes that weren't designer. She considered all cheap clothes to be ugly.

"So I hear when we dock on Venice, they're going to light all the flying lanterns." She seemed eager for that excursion. "Floating lanterns are so romantic." Arthur secretly sighed to himself. "So what did you do today while I wasn't around?"

Arthur ejected her chair and deposited it back under the table, then went to his seat.

"Well… to be honest, I had no idea this was a party cruise." He said.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked. "It hasn't bothered me. Don't tell me you're not going to the toga party."

"It sort of does bother me." He said. "Yesterday on the main deck while I was reading, some guy ran around the place yelling out 'toga'. In a toga."

"Well there are places on the ship like right here where none of that stuff happens."

"Last time a waiter broke a plate, everyone yelled 'Opa'." He pointed out. "But it is a nice ship. It's hard to believe this one's the smallest."

"And we have celebrities on board. Musicians, like you." She said. "Maybe you can teach them something."

Arthur chuckled. "Teach them what? I play piano at a club. That other guy is trying to be Mic Jagger! And I would rather see you dance than hear his kid sing."

"Alright, your opinion. Besides, his kid is getting married to a prince. She's nineteen." Arthur could sense her making a hint as she pushed away his criticism. "So do you know if Eames and Jules are dating?" She randomly changed the subject.

"Yes, they are. It won't last. He'll cheat on her and only Ariadne knows what she'll do." Arthur explained negatively.

"Maybe he'll change."

"He would never." Arthur protested calmly. "He's an asshole."

Joe sighed. "You seem to be in a bad mood. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said simply. "It's just one of those days that I'm not myself, dear. You look nice by the way."

You look nice by the way? He would always say she looked beautiful, or gorgeous, or like a princess!

"Are you sick?" she asked.

"No."

"Alright. Are you sure about having dinner tonight?"

"I'm very sure." He sat up. "I apologize if I'm upsetting you. I really don't know what's wrong."

The waiter came and they ordered their appetizers and champagne. When he left, Joe seemed to glare at him.

"I think I know what's wrong." She told him. "You have Ariadneitus. There, I said it."

"Johanna I thought we talked about this."

"Nothing against her, really!" Joe dictated. "But after you've spoken with her a couple of times, your whole mood turned around."

Arthur tranquilly glanced at her. "She's a little moody, that's all."

"So… are she and Frank…"

"No." Arthur shook his head. "I spoke to him today. He said they were classmates in high school and that she bullied him."

"_She_ bullied _him_?" Joe almost laughed. "What did she do, stand on phonebooks to slap him?"

Arthur normally didn't have a short fuse with women but Joe was being really aggressive to his feelings.

"What happened to you?" he asked, sounding disappointed. "When I met you, you were so sweet to everyone and you always helped people out willingly. You didn't act like a diva and you never insulted people you didn't know. You didn't even insult atheists."

"Will you lighten up? I'm the same. And I was kidding. Can't you take a joke anymore?" A tear was coming out one of her icy eyes.

"Not when it's about a friend." He snapped. Joe shook her head.

"I'm really sorry then." Arthur could see her almost lose it. "I just don't want to lose you."

Arthur sighed. Tonight was not the night to do it. Maybe he wasn't picking the right plan in the first place. And now every time Joe or his mind mentioned Ariadne he desired her more. He wondered what she was doing at that second.

"It's fine." He assured. "But Joe, this is your last warning. You hear me? Don't speak about Ariadne like that to me ever again." Arthurs voice was disciplinary now, like her fathers. Joe nodded in agreement. "Great. So what are you going to eat?"

**| B | E | Y | O | N | D | T | H | E | S | E | A |**

"That's fucking disgusting!" Frank exclaimed at the image on the TV. "Why are we watching this?"

"We wanted to see how bad it was." Jules reminded him. "This isn't scary, it's just sick."

"If that ever happens to me, I better be the Japanese guy." Eames picked. "So I wouldn't have to eat shit."

"I know. I feel bad for the girl in the middle." Ariadne laughed. "I mean, she escaped and ran into a bedroom with a working phone. But instead, she waits for the mad man to come, runs in the pool, gets out and hides in that room again!"

"People in horror movies are stupid!" said Jules. "She had her lips-"

"Don't say it!" Ariadne giggled. "Please don't!"

"Two girls without the cup." Eames joked.

"This isn't a horror movie." Said Frank. "I work in movies, and this is not horror. It's just a really sick idea that didn't work at all."

There was a knock on the suite door. Ariadne turned off the movie and answered it. Arthur sat there looking like he was in trouble.

"Party's over people." She said. "Time to leave now. You too Jules!"

"I live here." Jules reminded her.

"Go play with your boyfriend."

The ginger shrugged and left with Eames. When Frank was out of their hallway, Arthur stepped in.

"How did it go?" she asked. "Wait, let's talk outside." Ariadne led him to the suite balcony. In front of them was the black sky sprinkled with stars, causing a romantic setting.

"I couldn't do it." He said. "She was making it so hard."

"So what exactly happened?"

"We got into a few arguments at dinner. She thinks you're the reason why I was a bit moody." He explained. "And then she made a comment about you being short, and I told her she's changed and I warned her."

Ariadne sighed. "You're not going to get her off you with a final warning." She told him.

"I just think it's best to wait until the cruise ends." He said. "It's safer that way."

"Didn't you have enough?" Ariadne asked. "Her back-talking me to you is equivalent to Jean giving me a nose job. She's abusing you and you barely even know because it's not with violence."

"If I don't end it soon, my identity could be exposed." He said. "She'd know that I'm not a musician."

"Don't worry." Ariadne stepped closer to him. "We'll think of something. But right now, let her know that you need space."

"I just feel like I don't know her." He sighed. "I liked her in reality when she was nice, so I dated her to deepen my identity."

"And if you don't end it, she'll pull it out of the ground." Ariadne felt the same way when she was nagging Cobb. "Am I annoying you?"

Arthur looked at the way the kind breeze played with her hair and scarf. He viewed eyes like things found in nature. Blue was ice, green was grass and brown was soil. He was starting to like soil much more than ice.

Ariadne tried to read his mind by looking into his eyes. How she just wanted to tell him that she was his match. She never assumed about guys she liked that they would love her deeply, but Ariadne was sure of this one.

"No." he wanted to run a finger through her hair, but he didn't want to hurt her either. If he showed any feelings, she would assume he'd act like Jean if they were together so quickly.

"You could try the reverse plan." She counseled. "You can act like Eames and she might let you go."

Arthur laughed at her thought and smiled. His smile could turn her to stone quicker than Medusas stare. "Now that's a challenge." He looked at her scarf to see it was the same as before. "Ever since I gave you that scarf, you've never taken it off."

Ariadne looked down and placed the material in her hand. "Well… my other scarves aren't from Casablanca." That wasn't the reason why it was so special. "This one's lucky. I feel safe wearing it." Her heart was spinning and zipping around in her ribcage. She almost couldn't control herself.

"I didn't think you'd like it so much, the elephants were-"

Ariadne grabbed his jacket and yanked him towards her. In a second, her lips were on his. This took both of them off guard. Arthur was shocked by this, but found his arms tying around her waist. They probably kissed for thirty seconds before Ariadne realized what she was really doing and abandoned ship.

Her eyes were wide as if she saw a ghost and her face was red from taking a deep chance.

"I'm sorry." She was humiliated. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Why are you sorry?" Arthur put a hand on her cheek and brushed his lips against hers. Ariadne could taste the champagne in his breath. Her hand reached the back of his head, feeling the gel in his hair. Arthur lay down on the beach chair with Ariadne falling onto him, continuing to lock lips with him. The cold air was rising in temperature

Right then with the stars, the sea and Arthur in a suit were the perfect elements for a fiery kiss. The only thing missing was the rain.


	13. Rome

"So what happened?" Ariadne was lying on the beach chair she and Arthur previously made out on. Jules was standing behind her eating a banana.

"Uh…" Ariadne wasn't sure about telling Jules. But Jules was the best at keeping secrets. Her vault had three heavy-duty locks on each door. No one could make her confess anything.

"Turns out Rodger wants to dump Joe. Badly." Ariadne looked onto the stars, barely moving as the ship did.

"Seriously?" Jules took a seat on the other chair.

"He tried to tonight. But she was all 'I love you' and 'I can't lose you' and he couldn't do it there. They're in the same suite, so I'm pretty sure breaking up is not an option now."

"It'd be Hell to share a bed with someone who dumped you." Jules looked onto her best friend expecting juicier information.

"Sure would be, but I think he'd rather room with Eames now than her." Ariadne laughed imagining all the chaos that just one night of those two together would cause. Maybe the ship would sink. "Speaking of Eames, what did you do?"

"I wanna know what you did." The redhead poked her friend above the breast.

"You first." Ariadne offered, rubbing off the spot.

"Hm…" She leaned back. "Slots and shots. I out-drank him."

"You out-drank him?" Ariadne wanted to test her totem. "I guess you two are meant to be."

"And what about you and Rodger?" Jules expected at least an eye roll.

"Well… we talked for a bit. He said he was upset." Ariadne explained. "So we made out for forty-five minutes and tomorrow we're having a secret hot tub date."

Jules's mouth gaped open as her shaking finger arrowed her. "Holy shit, you did it! You stole him!"

"Hold on." The architect stopped her. "I didn't say we were together. We were just talking and out of nowhere I kissed him, then I said sorry and he said 'Don't be'."

"It's close enough." Jules was shaking. "So how are you gonna hide it?"

"Easy." Ariadne smirked. "Frank. Once I tell him."

"Well you know, if he won't pretend to be your boyfriend, one of the guys will. Seriously, they all think your smoking hot."

"I think they're confused." Ariadne concluded. "Also, do you know where we're stopping next? We've been at sea for a long time."

"Rome." Jules told her. "Which is a **romantic **city."

"So Joe will have all the time to climb all over him." Her eyebrows went up. "Any way, she and Rodger get to go to that ball together. I don't have a date. Did Eames ask you?"

"He usually doesn't ask." Jules laughed. "So I'm gonna ask him. Then I'll get him a corsage."

Ariadne burst out into laughter. "Oh God, he'd be so confused!"

"And hey, once Rodger see's you in that dress your sister made, he'll come running to you." The redhead predicted.

"Don't expect anything from a romance movie to happen." Ariadne told her dryly.

"I never said I was." Jules defended. "So tomorrow in Rome, you, Frank, Eames and myself will go in a quad."

"Yeah, that'll keep Joe off my tail." Ariadne scoffed quietly. "What's Rodger going to tell her when he comes here? He can't say he's playing golf or anything."

"I'm sure Joe has some BBB cult meeting." Jules commented. Ariadne looked over at Jules's hair.

"You wouldn't make a bad blonde yourself." She complemented.

"Yeah, that'll happen." Jules stood up to leave. "The excursions in the morning. I'm getting some sleep."

"This early?" It was one. Normally these girls could talk until six.

"It feels like having a bedtime again."

The next morning, the girls were prepared for another off-sea adventure. Ariadne had been to Rome once on a trip, but being and architect she knew everything about the buildings before even going. Only last time, she didn't have a fancy camera.

Before the tour started, Ariadne and Frank were comparing their Nikons like two nerds. Once again, she was wearing the scarf Arthur bought her.

"You seem to be in a good mood." He noticed.

"Well I'm an architect in Rome with a high megapixel camera." Ariadne snapped a quick picture to check the quality. "Damn, I sound like a geek."

"No, you sound like an intellectual." He changed the sentence. "Remember, you were a Greaser in high school."

"Did you have to remind me of that?"

Joe stood next to Arthur, her hand enclosed with his. A sunhat was covering her face from the heat.

"What were you doing last night after dinner?" she asked curiously. Not curious in a suspicious manner but just an interested manner. Arthur gave her hand a squeeze.

"I went to the front deck to be alone for a bit." He said calmly.

"I'm sorry about last night." She apologized again.

"You don't have to apologize more than once." He kissed the side of her head.

Ariadne wished she didn't see that.

"I was thinking tonight I'd go hang out with some women I've met. I don't know where we'll go but there are a million places."

Well that pushed aside one problem. Hopefully.

"That sounds like a lot of fun." He encouraged. "Now lets go see the city."

The tour was around three hours. The passengers got to see the Leaning Tower, the Colosseum, and various fountains. The water in the Trevi Fountain was not just surrounded by beautiful sculptures but it was crystal clear. It was a fountain of youth. Just looking at it could make a sick person well again.

To Ariadne, they reminded her of hot tubs.

It was surprising enough that Arthur actually agreed to do it. Since he dressed nice all the time, she imagined him coming into the hot tub wearing a jacket and tie. But hopefully she'd see him with his shirt off.

Just thinking about that made her check her watch constantly. The ticking got louder each time.


	14. The Brunettes Will Play

Arthur stuck around fifteen minutes after Joe took off before grabbing his swim trunks from the bottom of the drawer. He never thought he was going to need the black shorts, but was glad Joe insisted. Too bad he wasn't wearing them for her like she wanted.

Hiding the most casual and only waterproof garment he had, Arthur walked over to Ariadnes suite. She let him in immediately. Both of them supposedly behaved like they were rebels having an illegal meeting.

"I filled the tub and I got us some drinks." She told him, taking the two margaritas and walking towards the bathroom. "I'll be waiting in there."

It seemed a little odd that their little hot tub party was in a bathroom. The fact that the bathtub was enormous and had jets did not make it any more of a hot tub. At least it was a pretty bathroom.

Ariadne threw off her t-shirt and looked down at herself in her new Ed Hardy bikini. It was the most expensive thing she bought to wear.

Stepping into the bathtub, she wondered what Arthurs naked chest would look like. If it had body hair, or packs or even tattoos then seeing it would be like getting to learn secrets about Harry Potter that J.K. Rowling had never shared.

If he did take his shirt off. He definitely wasn't like Eames when it came to his body.

The door swung open.

No tattoos, no hair, no packs. Arthurs chest was just plain. Underneath those suits was nearly a skeleton with a thin layer of skin. Needless to say, he was still gorgeous to her.

"So you got here with no trouble." She assumed.

"I had to wait... but that just means I'm going back later, doesn't it?"

Ariadne grinned and gestured at him to get in. She turned around to reach for her drink on the other side of the tub when he gripped her waist and pulled her into his lap. Giggling, she accidently dumped out some of her drink into the water.

"Tell me about that tattoo." He said running a hand over the inky Eiffel Tower on her hip.

"I got it in high school after graduating. At first it was going to be on my ankle but I only wanted it exposed at the right times." She slipped her arm behind his neck. "I haven't shown it off in years though because at the college, they didn't take people with tattoos seriously. Even Miles doesn't know."

"And your parents were alright?"

"Nope. But back in the day my relationship with my dad wasn't the best. So I did the opposite of what he told me to do." She chuckled. "If he told me to answer when he called, I just looked at the phone until it stopped ringing."

"So you were rebellious." He assumed.

"Oh yeah." She sounded like she had a million stories to tell. "If you went in a time machine and gone back ten years, you would not know it was me at all. I looked completely different." Ariadne sipped a bit of her drink. "I had piercings on my eyebrows, nose, lip and tongue and I had black hair. And I did drugs which I regret."

"Wow." Arthur looked over at her observing her appearance and imaging her as a punk.

"Then this girl in my grade slapped a lot of sense into me. She started to act like a therapist, asking all these questions to me and when I said I was interested in architecture she went out and bought me a sketchbook. Then she told me to draw until my hand was sore."

"Sounds like you're here because of her." Arthur reached for his drink. "Do you still talk to her?"

Ariadne shook her head. "She moved to California like she said she would and she founded a roller derby league there. Right now, all I know her from is based on what the leagues website says." She found that she was talking about herself too much. She wanted to know him. After all, she made out with him the night before and now they were sitting in a bathtub half naked. "Enough about me. I wanna hear about your life."

"Me?" he questioned. "Just by looking at me, how do you think I was raised?"

"Hmm…" the architect thought for a moment. "I think… that you were an only child… your family was rich and you went to a fancy school. Did you play a fancy sport by any chance?"

"You are very close." Arthur was slightly impressed. "I have two older sisters and one older brother and we're all named after medieval Heros."

"So you're the baby." She could not picture him as a cute little boy surrounded by older siblings. "What's that like?"

"Well," He slipped a hand around her waist. "I learned from the mistakes they made but I always had to prove myself twice as hard. I was the runt of the litter."

"You?" her eyebrows shot up. "I can't believe that."

"My grandpa made fun of me for it all the time." He reasoned. A ring was heard from the bedroom that Arthur recognized as his.

"Awwww, Joes calling." Ariadne cooed. "I'll get it!" Arthur thought she was teasing but she rocketed up instantly. Arthur yanked her back and laughed as she tried to get out. "Arthur I swear to God, you let me go!"

"Joe will try to murder me if you answer it!" He shouted

"I wanna see her reaction!" Ariadne insisted. The phone was on its third ring.

As amused as Arthur was, he could only imagine Joe sounding so calm when Ariadne said, "Hello?" and "Rodger's busy," into her ear. Ariadne stopped trying to run out when the cell phone stopped ringing.

"You stick-in-the-mud…" she grumbled.

"Come here." He brought her next to him, their hips joining and Ariadnes head leaning on his chest. Arthur gripped her hand gently. "Your hands are wet anyway."

"So what does she do when you don't answer?"

"She just leaves a message."

"Oh…" For a moment, she was nervous Joe would come through the door. Not that she couldn't handle her or anything, but that would be humiliating.

"So as you know, there's this prom-like dance coming up." He started.

"If you fess up now and tell her the truth, we could go together."

"I share a suite with her. If I call it off, I'll have to face her every night."

"Would you much rather bunk with Eames or her?" Ariadne questioned.

Those two choices collided like fire and ice and neither caved in. "Touché."

"I could always talk Frank into flirting with her and convincing her that he's better for her… it's just too bad we can't do inception."

"We don't need it." He shook his head. "The question is would Frank be willing to do it?"

"I can get him to do anything." Ariadne insisted. "I had total control over him in high school."

Arthurs head tilted back as he let out a laugh. "So, about that short comment she made… it was actually pretty cleaver now that I think of it."

"Tell me." Ariadne grinned and showed eagerness.

"She said you'd have to stand on phone books to slap someone!" At that moment, Ariadne had alcohol on her tongue. The tequila hit the wall as she burst into endless laughter. A few people in the hall could hear her.

"Oh my God, that's a good one!" Ariadne nodded. "It made me spit out alcohol so yeah, it's funny."

Arthur sighed and looked over at her. "Ariadne…" his head shook. "Don't you think we're progressing too fast?"

"We're not together." She reminded him.

"I know… It's just that I like you a lot and I don't want us rushing to spoil it. I mean, you just got out of a nasty relationship and I'm trying to escape mine…"

"You're right." Ariadne scooted away with her hand still on his shoulder. "You can't pull a roses petals open; you have to wait for it to bloom. The later it happens, the more beautiful it could be."

"It would be pretty awkward if we started dating, broke up and ended up working together again." Arthur envisioned.

"So we act as friends, keep a low profile and if Joe tries anything, I'll kill her."

"Sounds perfect."


	15. Hello Creeper

The hormones Arthur and Ariadne had were stronger than drug addictions. Anything that reminded them of one another- the buildings from a distance, short tattooed brunettes, the male servers' uniforms- had them feeling like they needed to be together. Arthur passed time by thinking about how he could make the situation cleaner. Ariadne did as she always did on the ship when nothing interesting was going on. She would have been hanging out with Jules, but she was complaining non-stop about some creep who wouldn't leave her alone.

One thing she could think of to get her mind off Arthur was to focus on the quality of her artwork. For years she had been drawing mazes and floor plans and planned to draw freely. She tried to draw her roller girls; the derby girls from Hogwarts and even herself as the skater she envisioned.

Too bad she couldn't pay attention. Her thoughts were like giving in to an addiction after vowing to give it up for Lent. She flipped the guiltily.

Every detail already memorized, she sketched Arthurs face. For around a half hour she spent time working on his hair specifically. Her mind was so dedicated to the sketch, she didn't hear a person come up.

"Who are you drawing?" She looked over to see a guy she's never viewed before. He was overweight with a few tattoos. To her despair he wasn't wearing a shirt. He starred at her through his glasses.

"Uh… That's actually personal so it would be nice if you wouldn't look at my stuff." She hid the page from sight and caged the drawing on top with her arms.

"My names Kevin. I'm a hockey player."

"Ok… I don't like hockey."

"Oh…" he paused. "I have a motorcycle."

"I have a boyfriend." She lied. "Now go away before I get security."

"You're just like that red head." He commented. "The bitch threw her ice cream at me."

Ariadnes eyes shifted sides. Jules mentioned before that some creep was hitting on her. She told Ariadne, "I dumped my milkshake on him." On his swim trunks were some pink stains.

"That bitch happens to be my best friend." Ariadne snapped angrily. "And you're just creepy. Stay the hell away from me."

"What if I don't wanna?" He sounded like Butt-Head from the MTV cartoon.

"Then I'll just have to remind you again." Another short brunette got off the stairs and approached Kevin. The creeper looked onto the celebrity looking like he got busted. "Security has an eye on you Kevin. You'll get thrown off the ship if you keep creeping on women. And if I was in your social class, I wouldn't throw away all the money I spent just to have a bunk bed here."

Ouch. This chick knew just what to say.

"You're a bitch." He told her.

"Get in line!" Ariadne saw Jane literally shoot a bullet of spit from her mouth into his eyes. In midair, it looked like Spiderman shooting a web. "And piss off."

Kevin just looked at both women then went down the stairs.

"You know that guy?"

Jayne took a seat next to which she considered a friend. "He kept on coming up to me, Lucy and Ivory. He rambles on about how he's here with his brother because his mother wanted him out…" Ariadne laughed.

"Is he mentally ill or something?"

"It's tragic, isn't it?" Jayne shook her head. "So what are you drawing?" She looked at the half done picture on top and turned the page. Ariadne tried to stop her but it was too late. "Is that Rodger?"

Ariadne sighed and nodded. "Uh huh."

"So you are crazy about him."

"He's crazy about me too. He even gave me a Casablanca scarf. The problem is the girlfriend." Ariadne shook her head as she pulled on the silk.

"You grabbed that jewel and tore it off her neck and she has no clue?"

"Not yet." Ariadne chuckled nervously. "We want to go to that prom thing together, but we can't."

"Why not?" Jayne asked.

"Her." Ariadnes eyebrows popped up. "They're in the same suite."

"So? He can kick her out."

"Of all the places to breakup with someone, a party cruise at sea is not the best idea." Ariadne told her.

"True…" Jayne thought. "So you'll have to wait until the cruise is over…"

"Yep."

"And on the other hand you need a guy to decrease suspicions?"

Ariadne sighed. "Yep. If I can convince him." Her head turned to face the singer. "Listen, no one can know. I'm very uncomfortable that I told you this."

"So I can't be trusted because I'm famous?"

"I'm just afraid someone will overhear us."

"There's no one around." Jayne placed an arm around Ariadne. "Look, I like you. You don't run up to me and say 'I love you' or 'I love your dad'. Whenever I walk by you look at me like I'm normal."

"You are normal. Just very talented and highly known."

Jayne sighed. "I wish. Fame and fortune isn't all it's thought to be. People don't follow you with cameras and wait for you to explode. And when you joke about an issue on Saturday Night Live, the people don't give you shit."

"When did that happen?" Ariadne didn't see the episode of Saturday Night Live that Jayne hosted. She did hear that it was pretty good though.

"For the episode I hosted, I did a porn name skit, a roller derby skit, a Miley Cyrus show skit, a commercial for Hannah Montana condoms and I get shit for poking fun at the immigration problem in the last skit." All the sketches she described sounded inappropriate but hilarious.

"What was the last one?"

"Ok, so it was one of those Turner Classic Movie skits and the movie was Mary Poppins. Jason Sudeikis was all, 'There's a scene cut from the film that we'll see for the first time'. I was Mary, I flew into the kids' bedroom and it's a mess so I tell them to clean it. They say no so I magically made six Mexicans in jeans appear and I sang as they cleaned."

"Oh my God." Ariadne placed her hand on her forehead. "That sounds so bad."

"It's on Hulu if you paid for wi-fi on board."

"I'll try to find it." Ariadne nodded. Jayne took one of the artists sketching pencils and flipped to a blank page, tearing off a small chunk.

"Here's my number." Jayne handed her the oddly shaped scrap of paper. "Keep it in your contacts and throw it out after. Call me if there's any problems."

"I think I'll be fine." Ariadne passed.

"Well put it in just in case." Jayne put the scrap down. "If Jules can't back you up at anytime, I will."

Ariadne sighed. "Thanks."

"And relax. No one knows."

Still within hearing range was Kevin.


	16. Denial

Ariadne found Frank at the Internet Café. He was sitting at a table with his laptop editing a film he recently shot. Frank didn't notice her taking a seat across from him.

"Why aren't you outside?" she asked. "It's beautiful out."

"By beautiful, you mean 'hot', right?"

"Yeah. It's hot out." Ariadne remembered how bitter cold it was in Perry Sound. "Beats winter in Canada."

"Well I would be outside at the pool but I have work." He said excusing himself poorly.

Ariadne got off her chair and stood beside him to peer at the screen. "What are you working on?"

"A little short film." Frank was going over the same shot again and again as if he just knew there was a problem.

"About?"

"It's for a horror film making contest." He explained. "It's about a woman who's being chased in the woods by a guy with a gun…"

"Wow, I've never heard that plot before."

"But she gets to a farm and the farmer takes her in to protect her. The twist is the guy trying to kill her is the good guy. She's infected with a flesh eating disease and she eats the farmer and his wife, then infects the guy. The end."

"Wow… That's a really good twist." She praised him.

"Why thank you. First place is ten grand."

"Seriously?" she asked. "Over a fifteen minute film?"

Frank nodded. "It's going to be a short film they'll never forget." He sounded far to proud of himself. "So what brings you here?"

The plan was about to come into play but it could only advance from Franks positive answer.

"Well… the ship is having this prom thing near the end of the cruise and I thought, you know." She hoped he'd say something. "Would you wanna go with me?"

Frank leaned back in his chair. "Hmm… well you're really cute and I haven't been asked already so…"

"Take time to think about it." she said, her stomach expanding in her throat.

"Why not?" he smirked. "It'll be fun." His smiled said, 'I can't wait!'

Ariadne then wanted to tell him what was really on her mind. She wasn't comfortable using him, especially after he forgave her for being savage to him in high school. What if he found out on his own and never got over it? Hurting Joe was not her concern. The idea of hurting Frank frightened her.

It was a risk she had to take and that moment was the best time. Unfortunately, Frank got up and said he had to leave.

"Shit."

* * *

><p>Dressed like Emma Frost at a pool party and reading <em>French Vogue<em>, Joes eyes were locked on the purses printed on the slick pages. The beach chair beside her was empty for only a minute when she sensed somebody taking a seat there.

"Hi." The person looked at the magazine cover then scratched his last word. "I mean bonjour."

"I have a boyfriend." She didn't bother to look at him.

"That's ok." Joe placed the magazine down. "He's the guy in the blue shirt that just went that way, right?"

"Yeah, that's him."

"Ok…" Kevin looked around to see if anyone was listening. "There was a girl up the stairs drawing a picture that looked like him."

"That's interesting…" It wasn't too interesting. But wait… "Who was drawing him?"

"Some little girl in a scarf."

Joe hid a gulp and slipped off her round sunglasses.

"Was this little girl with a tall ass red-head?"

Kevin shook his head. "She was by herself then Jayne Alvers started talking to her."

"_We're going to meet her tomorrow. I think we're having a spa trip with her?"_

"Do you have something worthy to tell me and if not, why the hell are you here?" Joe snapped.

"Uh… that girl was sketching your boyfriends head and she was talking to Jayne Alvers about trying to steal him."

Joe just laughed. "He would _never _cheat on me." She said. "And what happens in my life is none of your business you creeper!"

"I can prove it to you." He insisted. "I have a baseball cap with a camera in it that I brought for the excursions."

"You are not spying on my man." She snarled a warning. "There is _nothing_ going on. I would know."

"Who is this?" Arthur had returned from the restroom to see his chair occupied by an uninvited guest. Luckily for Kevin, Arthur didn't hear a word of their conversation.

"Rodger, he just came up to me and started creeping at me." She told him.

"Ok," Arthur pulled Kevin up. "You have to leave."

"Fine." Kevin snorted. As he walked away, Kevin gave him the finger. Arthur watched him like a dog until he was at the other side of the pool. When he lay back on the chair, he noticed Joes mood flipped upside down.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Joe sighed. "Nothing."

"When a person says nothing it means something is wrong." He told her. "What is it? Did he say something to you?"

"I guess I have PMS or something." She lied again. "It'll be over by the time that prom comes."

"Do you want me to get you some ice cream?" he suggested.

"No." her eyes were back on the purses.

* * *

><p>The drifting ship felt soothing like the silk sheets they laid on. They would be in far more trouble than before if they kept giving into temptation. But they were alone in a place only one other person had the key to.<p>

"So did you ask Frank to the 'prom'?" Arthur snuggled beside her sliding a fibger over her hair.

"He said yes." Ariadne reported. "But I feel bad for this… I think he should know about our plan."

"Why?"

"Well because I've hurt him a lot in the past and it's only fair I tell him this." Ariadne sighed. "Seriously, I was very mean to him. I don't want to hurt him anymore. Maybe he'd be more willing to help."

"First you need to know for sure this guy can keep a secret."

Ariadne was flipping through the channels to see if anything on looked good. She stopped at a shot of the Eiffel Tower being shredded to bits then falling.

"Not this movie." She turned the TV off. "You can't play a bad movie on a movie channel."

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"That was that stupid GI Joe movie." Ariadne rolled her eyes. "I actually had to go see it in theaters."

"Why?"

"Jules used to have the biggest crush on Channing Tatum." Ariadne explained. "She said if I saw it with her she would stop talking about how they were going to be married and about their kids and… I fell asleep."

"I would have also." He agreed. "So how was your day at sea?"

"It was fine." Ariadnes head moved closer to his. "But then some creepy guy came up to me and started flirting with me. I told him to leave me alone and Jayne had to get rid of him."

Arthurs eyebrows rose. "What did this guy look like?"

"A little chubby, a few tattoos and glasses." She described simply. "Jayne took good care of him."

"That same guy was talking to Joe when I left her alone for a second."

Ariadne felt her guts exploding. "He talked to Jules before me and then her? Oh shit." She sat up and looked out the window.

"What's wrong?" he gazed over concerned.

"… Nothing."


	17. Nope, Sorry

_Calypso _continued her journey to Venice. Ariadne watched the ship progress and the Ellen DeGeneres Show at the same time while she worked on her strength. Her hair in a ponytail, Ariadne was running on the treadmill like a maniac. iPod hooked to her arm, she was pumping her legs to the Ting Tings. Eames was in the corner working with two hundred pounds of weights, obviously with his shirt off.

Being interviewed by Ellen was the illusion she sometimes saw. Lioness was sitting on the couch across from the talk show in her uniform.

"_So you're telling me that starting out is the worst part?"_

_Lioness leaned back. "It was. When I first scrimmaged, I was jammer and the other jammer was a girl that I didn't like at all."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Well she looks like one of those people that shouldn't be there, and I know appearances aren't everything and she could skate, but she pissed me off for no reason. So I really wanted to kick her ass. She hit me. I got up and tried to catch up with her, but I was pounded to the ground over and over again and got sent to the box."_

"_Well you're tiny so I can see why you'd fall so easily."_

"_Well it was my first time as jammer ever, and no one helped me." Lioness defended. "It was actually stressful for me and I felt like crying but there was one girl there who helped me out, and she was amazing… she literally taught me how to hit in one night. In a drill where I was a blocker, I knocked down the chick who I overheard calling me unbalanced." _

She was ten minutes into her run when she felt a tap on the shoulder. Ariadne looked over to see Joe leaning on the machine.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked after placing her head back forward.

"Do you know where Rodger was yesterday afternoon?" Joes voice was not suspicious or accusing but tranquil.

Yesterday afternoon… Arthur was with her, snuggling in her bed and talking about their family stories. "No I don't."

"Oh… Because I've called several times and he didn't pick up his phone. That's not like him." Joe sounded miserable then.

"Maybe he was playing tennis or something." The brunette guessed falsely. When the image of those two women together appeared in his sight range, Eames stopped his workout. "Find him and ask him yourself." The muscled forger walked over to them and leaned on the equipment.

"I hope you're not planning to start a fight anytime soon." He warned both of them.

"I don't wanna fight, I just wanna get stronger. And watch Ellen." The conversation didn't stop her from turning the treadmill off. "I haven't seen Rodger. We'll see him tonight."

That night was the night of the toga party. Before she left for the gym, the housekeepers delivered her and Jules the bed sheets in the colors they wanted and instructed them how to wear them. There was bound to be a drunk man overboard, broken plate chunks on the deck and some Greek workers dancing. Maybe because of her goddess name, she'd get a goddess treatment.

"He keeps telling me he's not going to go. That's silly."

"Well everyone's gonna be there so the only open place on the whole ship would be your room."

"Everything's closed tonight?"

Eames looked over at Joe. "Unlike Carnival, Greek cruises has a tradition. During the toga party, everything is closed. The nightclub, the bars… the party is all in one place."

"Eames is just going to show off his muscles." Ariadne joked.

"Hey, I'd be a kickass Hercules!" Eames flexed his muscles like the whole world was watching.

"More like Zeus." Ariadne commented. She pictured Jules as a pissed off Hera. Joe chuckled.

"And if Rodger doesn't want to come to the party, you can hang out with us…" Ariadne pulled the tab out of the treadmill and stepped down for a towel. "Or the girlfriends you made." The blizzard the cold towel provided untied her muscles.

"Well… I hear from Jules you're not quite a partier."

Ariadne looked over at her. "I had better things to do than get drunk." The towel was tossed in the bin. "Anyway, I have to figure out how to make the toga stay. See you there?"

Joe nodded. "Sure."

The architect smiled back. "He's missing out you know. You should convince him to drop by."

Eames chuckled. "Rodger in a toga…" he envisioned Arthur as a Greek god. Most likely Hermes in his eyes.

"Have you seen him anywhere?" Joe questioned. Eames denied it, recalling that he was hanging out with Jules most of the time.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready to get drunk?" Jules joked as she finished clipping her white toga around her. Ariadne was still busy with the red sheet, trying to secure it around her.<p>

"Isn't that what Greeks do?"

Ariadnes phone on the nightstand vibrated. While struggling to keep the toga on, she picked up the mobile device to see Arthur sent her a text.

Tomorrow night the lanterns will rise. We're going to take a closer look.

"Looks like I have a date with Rodger tomorrow." She smirked.

"Alright!" Jules cheered.

Her smile died down with heavy guilt. "I still haven't told Frank." Jules scowled.

"The plan could fall apart if you do that."

"I know. But Frank is too fragile to break." Ariadne looked back on those high school moments. "He would never forgive me if I didn't tell the truth."

"Then you better tell him as soon as possible if he's planning to get wasted."

Ariadne finished securing her toga. "Fantastic."

"Shouldn't you wear some shorts underneath?" Jules looked over at Ariadnes bare legs.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

**I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! Writers block was eating me on this one but I refuse to give up. Some detailed feedback would really help me get the next chapter in sooner. Please!**


End file.
